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THE — 

APPLE 

AT 

WORK: 


►CHARTING 
STATISTICS 
FOR THE 
OAKLAND A’S 

►TECHNOLOGY 
PLANNING 
AT 

MERRILL LYNCH 


►WEAVING 
BY COMPUTER 


MICROS 
BEHIND THE 
SCENE AT 
GREAT 
AMERICA 
PARK 


REVIEWS 
OF PRODUCTS 
FROM: 


►APPLE 


► EPSOM 

► C. ITOH 

► STAR 

MICRONICS 

► LEADING 
EDGE 

► MANNESMANN-. 
TALLY 

► DOW JONES 


► ELECTRONIC 
ARTS 


► EPYX 


► SIERRA 
ON-LINE 






























































































































I 


[iTirv 


TjT 



Each VersaBusiness module can be purchased and used independently, 
or can be linked in any combination to form a complete, coordinated business system. 


- CAM nr V MO WITH « o* MONf Cl** O V 

VIRSAIEOGER HAS BEEN CREATED . 
WITH THE FIRST TIME COMPUTER USER IM MU 

nirjHUHLifru:. 


rireact'vi" 

6ENERAL LCCef-l'^ 


HH IIHUM- 


Vi usaReceivables™ $99.95 

Vi iC'AK'I < TIVABL.ES T “ is a complete menu-driven accounts receivable, invoicing, and 

."'blv statement generating system. It keeps track of all information related to who 

von 01 your company money, and can provide automatic billing for past due ac- 
. 1 • Vl Its A RECEIVABLES" prints all necessary statements, invoices, and summary 

• • 1'"i!-. .iikI can be linked with VERSALF.DGER IP" and VERSAlNVENTORY™. 

Vi knaPayables ™ $99.95 

'm >.l 'AS AMI I S" is designed to keep track of current and aged payables, keeping you 
h with .ill information regarding how much money your company owes, and to 

• I--Mi Vi It 1 . A PAYABLES'" maintains a complete record on each vendor, prints checks, 
•» • I •«-ii . 1 * 1 vouchers, transaction reports, aged payables reports, vendor reports, 

.. Will, VERSA PAYABLES", you can even let your computer automatically select 

'“hi* I.. •• .in* to be paid. 

Vi hsaPaykoll™ $99.95 

11 'Pas imi I " r. .1 powerful and sophisticated, but easy to use payroll system that 
1 •' 1 11 * M i* I "l .ill government-required payroll information. Complete employee records 

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1 1 •' *•' i’ 1 "'. .I on 1 een (or operator approval. A payroll can be run totally, automati- 
11 ■ • *'i" t.iloi . .in intervene to prevent a check from being printed, or to alter 

. ." " II 'IcMied, totals may be posted to the VersaLedger If" system. 


VersaLedger ii™ $149.95 

VersaLedger II™ is a complete accounting system that grows as your business 
grows. VersaLedger II™ can be used as a simple personal checkbook register, 
expanded to a small business bookkeeping system or developed into a large 
corporate general ledger system without any additional software. 

• VersaLedger II™ gives you almost unlimited storage capacity 

(300 to 10,000 entries per month, depending on the system), 

• stores all check and general ledger information forever, 

• prints tractor-feed checks, 

• handles multiple checkbooks and general ledgers, 

• prints 17 customized accounting reports including check registers, 
balance sheets, income statements, transaction reports, account 
listings, etc. 

VersaLedger II™ comes with a professionally-written 160 page manual de¬ 
signed for first-time users. The VersaLedger II™ manual will help you become 
quickly familiar with VersaLedger IF, using complete sample data files 
supplied on diskette and more than 50 pages of sample printouts. 


Vl K'.AlNVI N TORY™ $99.95 

" 1 1 mnplcte inventory control system that gives you instant access 

• • 1 .Vl R*.A INVENTORY" keeps track of all information related to what 

... 1 ""l "I ••l"' k, on backorder, etc., stores sales and pricing data, alerts 

.. (''ll'* below .1 preset reorder point, and allows you to enter and print 

.... hillnk with the Vl RSA RECEIVABLES" system. VERSA INVENTORY" prints 

... . . . .I»**IM»• r., teputls of items below reorder point, inventory value re- 

1 t.* in*I '•< ai Iim late -.ales reports, price lists, inventory checklists, etc. 

mraPUTRQNICS: 

'IN IV.i A< K IK >AI).SI»RING VALLEY, NY. 10977 

1 M ' . . . . iH" Mi.u k Divluion ot l andy Corp ‘APPLE is a trademark of 

*CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research 


Every VERSABUSINESS" module is guaranteed to outperform all other competitive systems 
and at a fraction of their cost. If you are not satisfied with any VERSABUSINESS" module you 
may return it within 30 days for a refund. Manuals for any VERSABUSINESS" module may be 
purchased for $25 each, credited toward a later purchase of that module. 


To Order: 

Write or call Toll-free (800) 431-2818 

(N.Y.S. residents call 914-425-1535) 

* add $3 for shipping in UPS areas * add $5 to CANADA or MEXICO 

* add $4 for C.O.D. or non-UPS areas * add proper postage elsewhere 

DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME 

All prices and specifications subject to change / Delivery subject to availability. 


Apple Corp. • *IBM is a trademark of IBM Corp. 
‘XEROX is a trademark of Xerox Corp. 


‘OSBORNE is a trademark of Osborne Corp. 


















A flawless future is in sight with 3M diskettes. 


At 3M, reliability is built into every diskette. We’ve been in the computer 
media business for over 30 years. And we’ve never settled in. We’re 
constantly improving and perfecting our product line, from computer 
tape and data cartridges to floppy disks. 

3M diskettes are made at 3M. That way, we have complete control 
over the entire manufacturing process. And you can have complete 
confidence in the reliability of every 3M diskette you buy. 

Apple* Compatible. 

3M makes diskettes for use with Apple computers, including specially 
designed Fileware™ diskettes for the Lisa™ personal office system. 
Look in the Yellow Pages under Computer Supplies and Parts for the 
3M distributor nearest you. In Canada, write 3M Canada, Inc., London, 
Ontario. If it’s worth remembering, it’s worth 3M diskettes. 



Apple, Apple logo, Fileware and Lisa are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. 


3M hears you... 


CIRCLE 103 ON READER SERVICE CARD 









CONTENTS 



THE INDEPENDENT 
GUIDE FOR 
APPLE COMPUTING 


^APPLES AT WORK 

The Great 
American Apple 

From cinematic animation 
to recordkeeping in the 
personnel department, 
Apple computers lend a 
hand at Marriott’s Great 
America amusement park. 




CX A is for Apple, 
wW Oakland, 
and Baseball 

In the fight for a chance to 
play in the World Series the 
Oakland As seek every 
advantage, including a 
computer that begins with 
the letter A. 



Technology 
at Merrill Lynch 

Brokerage house 

Merrill Lynch conducts 

business with Apple 

computers 

and a stockbroker- 

specific applications 

package. 


Modem 

Magic Conjures 
Up Information 

The telecommunication 
powers of your Apple can 
cast a spell on these on-line 
information services that 
unearth vast worlds of 
facts, fun and conversation. 





XO Elementary 
wW Graphics 

An illustrator’s foray into 
the world of graphics. 


124 


Appleweave 
The industrial revolution 
revisited: weaving applica¬ 
tions for the Apple. 


^ HARDWARE REVIEW 


4C Seven Basic Apple- 
wW Compatible Printers 

Seven contenders slug it out 
for the title, “Best of the 
Budget Matrix Printers.” 
We’ll let you be the referee. 


^ SOFTWARE 



IrtTI Mixing Words and 
lw# Numbers 

The Apple 111 Sophisticated 
Operating System (SOS) 
allows you to load VisiCalc 
files into Apple Writer 
reports—and more. 



m Dow Jones Market 
Analyzer 

Reviews of three stock 
analysis programs from 
Dow Jones. 



Thoughtware 

On the road to integrated 
software. 



/ iliii! i!!l III 

nm* mm I* 7 *** 
i mi mmm u 
hu mm i i 
! h Mini mm 
HUi i HHiim 

!iiU HIHIH 
ifliHi i 11 mm 


















































VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 NOVEMBER, 1983 




^EDUCATION 

1^^ The Father of 
Iva Logo 
Seymour Papert talks 
about the role of computers 
in education—and the role 
of education in computers. 

t PROGRAMMING 


1JLO How to dBase II, 
IOO Parti 

A tutorial series on dBase 
II, the hottest program for 
database management. 


►APPLICATIONS 


An Apple A Day... 
An Apple computer ana¬ 
lyzes blood, measures med¬ 
icine, helps teach medical 
students and more. 


^ BOOK EXCERPT 

AO Investment 
©W Analyses with Your 
Microcomputer 

Using your Apple computer 
to compare your invest¬ 
ment options. 


Rescue 
wl Squad 

Questions about radio 
interference, using TVs as 
monitors, and controlling a 
printer are answered by the 
Rescue Squad. 

9 Editorial 



DEPARTMENTS 


95 


That’s 

Entertainment 



Short items on gossip, 
helpful hints, and more. 



IRA ciub 

l ir a t News 

The Society for the Preven¬ 
tion of Cruelty to Apples. 
Whether you are a “green” 
Apple user or an experi¬ 
enced programmer, your 
local user group can pro¬ 
vide advice on computer 
operations and new 
applications. 

m Product 
News 

OAC Index to 
aw© Advertisers 

205 up """ 8 









































THE GRAPHIC SOLUTION 


Solve your toughest communication problems with the 
Graphic Solution™, a sophisticated, new graphics package 
from Accent Software. 

With precise, multi-speed 
ANIMATION create captivating sales 
presentations and product demon¬ 
strations that will both intrigue and 
inform your clients and customers. 
Watch their reactions; you'll see your 
messages getting through. 

Develop educational materials 
and training aids that MIX TEXT AND GRAPHICS on 
the screen, breathing new life into abstract, hard-to-grasp 
concepts. Mix programs too. 

Images can be displayed on back¬ 
grounds loaded from any of your 
other programs. Construct custom 
TYPEFACES AND TYPESIZES to 
balance the visual elements. 

Tired of run-of-the-mill business 
graphics? Change standard charts 
and graphs into colorful THREE DIMENSIONAL 
PERSPECTIVES. Add text and animate the data to show the 


relative rates of change for your most important information. 
Like cash flow projections. Or revenue estimates. 

Plot flowcharts, time and motion 
studies, industrial process flows with 
COLOR-CODED ELEMENTS high¬ 
lighting critical paths. Animate the 
sequences to show how flows actually 
progress. 

Work with live action? Prepare 
film and videotape storyboards using 
the unique FRAME-BY-FRAME graphic sequencer that 
lets you create and animate a video story before shooting. 

Whatever your graphic communication demands—in the 
business world, the arts, industry, 
education—The Graphic Solution™ 
at $149.95 has the answer. Take a 
hard look at The Graphic Solution. 

You'll like what you see. 

The Graphic Solution requires a 
48K Apple II with ROM Applesoft 
and DOS 3.3. 

See your local dealer or 
send $10.00 for a demonstration diskette to: 



INDUCTION 

C0mPRE5S!Q 

POWER 

EXHRU5T 


INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 




ACCENT SOFTWARE, INC. 

3750 Wright Place, Palo Alto, Calif. 94306 Telephone 415-856-6505 


Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 
CIRCLE 104 ON READER SERVICE CARD 














Publisher 

Sydney H. Rogers 


Editor 

Maggie Canon 
Senior Copyeditor 
Eva Langfeldt 
Managing Editor 
Leslie Steere 
Office Manager 
Gae Brandon 
Consulting Editor 
Steve Rosenthall 
Contributing Editors 
Managing Editor-Susan Hurley 
Chief Copyeditor-Anne Freed 
Copyeditors-Jennifer de Jong, Barry Owen, James Langd- 
dell, Michelle Lodge, Barbara Noble, Bill Both 
Editorial Assistants 
Karen Cook, Eric Marcus 
Art Direction 
Don Menell Directions 
Contributing Art Director 
Michael Brock 


Assistant Art Directors 

Mariano Nicieza 
Debra Vodhanel 
Angelia Giglia 


1IIlistrators: Doug Paulin, Cathrinc Kanncr, Donna Tar- 
zinn. Art Curtis, William Reiser, Stan Watts, Craig Cals- 
heek. Charles Shields, Tom Nikoscy, James Hegedus, 


Dennis Mukai, Stan Gorman, 
Photographer: Tom Keller 
Subscription Director 
Telemarketing Manager 
New Business Manager 
Renewal and Billing Manager 
Retail Sales Manager 
Advertising ('ooi dinator 
Advertising Manager 
West Coast Manager 
Last ('oast Manager 


Chet Klimuszko 
Linda Rossiter 
Eric A. Bernhard 
Shane Boel 
Gerald Grossman 
Leslie C. Phillip 
Ted M. Welch 
Denise M. Pilnak 
Susanne M. Zellner 


Account Representatives EAST COAST Jeffrey L. Tompkins 
MID-WEST Kathryn J. Cumbcrlander 
WEST COAST Thomas E. Richardson, 
Cindy M. Silverman 


Advertising Office 

Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, One Park Avenue, New York, NY 
10016, (212) 725-7947 

CONSUMER COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE 
DIVISION 


President 

Vice President Marketing 
Vice President Circulation 
Vice President General Manager 
Creative Director 
Editorial Director 
Promotion Manager 


Larry Spom 
J. Scott Briggs 
Carole Mandel 
Eileen G. Markowitz 
Peter J. Blank 
Jonathan D. Lazarus 
Robbie Sonnenberg 


ZIFF-DAVIS PUBLISHING 

President Richard P. Friese; President Consumer Magazine Divi¬ 
sion Albert S. Traina; Executive Vice President, Marketing and 
Circulation Paul H. Chook; Senior Vice President Phillip T. Hef- 
feman; Senior Vice President Sidney Holtz; Senior Vice President 
Edward D. Muhfeld; Senior Vice President Sidney Holtz; Senior 
Vice President Edward D. Muhfeld; Senior Vice President Philip 
Sine; Vice President Baird Davis; Vice President George Morrissey; 
Treasurer Selwyn Taubman; Secretary Bertram A. Abrams 

A+: The Independent Guide for Apple Computing ISSN (#0740-1590) is pub¬ 
lished for $24.97 one year, $43.97 two years, and $53.97 three years. Additional 
postage $12 for Canada, $12 other foreign by Ziff-Davis Publishing Co., One 
Park Ave., New York, NY 10016. Second-Class paid at New York, NY 10016 
and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to A+, 
P.O. Box 2965, Boulder, CO 80321. 

Editorial and Business Office: One Park Ave., New York, NY 10016. Editorial 
(212) 725-4694, Advertising (212) 725-7947. For subscription inquiries and ser¬ 
vice, write to A+, P.O. Box 2965, Boulder, CO 80321. 

A+ is an independent journal, not affiliated in any way with Apple Computer Inc. 
Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Entire contents Copy¬ 
right © 1983 Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. All rights reserved; reproduction in whole 
or in part without permission is prohibited. The following are trademarks of 
Ziff-Davis Publishing Co.: A+, A+: The Independent Guide for Apple Com¬ 
puting, Dispatches, Resque Squad, Thoughtware, That’s Entertainment. 
Permissions: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form 
without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to Bette Amado, 
Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, New York, NY 10016. 



A name to remember for memory in a hurry. 

flii.vli(‘iii‘fl 

solid state disk for Apple® computers 


Packaged with business software 
for lightning fast processing. 


Or, flashcard is packaged alone with 
drive diskettes for DOS 3.3, CP/M®and 
Pascal for software compatibility 
with popular programs such as Word 
Star®and dBase II? 

Bonus Offer: For a tidy turnkey 
solution to boosting business output, 
flashcard also comes packaged with 
MagiCalc® spreadsheet software from 
Artsci. MagiCalc is a superior, state of 
the art program that is fast, friendly 
and filled with features. And it is 
fully compatible with VisiCalc files. 

Synetix, Inc. 

15050 N.E. 95th St., 
Redmond, WA 98052 
(206) 881-7110 (800) 426-7412 


Why flashcard?: Plug flashcard 
into your Apple and enjoy fast, 
smooth, no-wait computing. No 
more “disk wait” messages. No 
mechanical delays. No more noise as 
the disk chatters and clatters 
through a file search. And no wear 
and tear on your program diskettes. 
Instead, flashcard displays your data 
the instant you ask for it. 

Your computer store should have 
flashcard in stock. If not, ask him to 
order one for you. 

flashcard with MagiCalc $595 
flashcard, 147k disk $349 

flashcard, 294k disk $529 

™Flashcard is a registered trademark of SYNETIX, INC. 


® Apple is a registered trademark of APPLE COMPUTER, INC. ® MagiCalc is a registered trademark of ARTSCI. INC. 

® CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research Inc. ® WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro. 

® dBase II is a registered trademark of AshtonTate. CIRCLE 150 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

















How HP business graphics 



Enhance your reputation for being more pro¬ 
fessional, persuasive, credible and effective 
than your competition with the new HP 7475A 
Business Professional’s Plotter. 


Make a first impression that lasts 



The vital importance of graphics to today’s business professional 
cannot be overstated. In survey 
after survey, statistics prove 
graphics can help you 
spot trends and relation- 
ships quickly, 
analyze data 
accurately, and 
communicate 
your ideas 
with more 


clarity 
and power 
than in any 
other way. 

Even more im¬ 
portant, graphics 
can actually increase 
personal and company 
productivity. And create a 
first impression of quality and 
professionalism that lasts and lasts. 


Graphics: the end to meetings 
that go nowhere 

In a fascinating research project conducted by The University of 
Pennsylvania, 123 MBA candidates were involved in a study 
designed to test the effectiveness of business graphics in meeting 
situations. The results were startling. In the group where visual 
aids were used: 

• Meetings were shorter: The study showed a 28% reduction in 
meeting length when transparencies were used. 

• Group consensus was faster: Agreement was reached by 79% of 
the group using transparencies, compared with only 8% among 
the control group using no visual aids. 

• The decision process was accelerated: 64% of study participants 
said they made their business decisions immediately after the vis¬ 
ual presentation. When overheads were not used, the control group 
said they delayed decision-making until some time after the group 


discussion following the presentation. 

• Presenters with visual aids were perceived as being more profes¬ 
sional, persuasive, credible and effective than those not using 
visual aids. 

Now, with the new HP 7475A Business Professional’s Plotter, 
your meetings can have immediate and productive results like 
these. 

How the quality look 
of HP graphics can help 

The way you present your information can be equally as important 
as the actual information you’re presenting. And that’s where the 
new HP 7475A Business Professional’s Plotter lets your profes¬ 
sionalism shine through. 

Standards unsurpassed in the 
plotter business 

The technical standards of the HP 7475A have no equal for pro¬ 
ducing quality graphics. Wilh a resolution of one-thousandth-of-an- 
inch, curved lines are smooth, not jagged, and straight lines are 
consistently straight. Its exceptional repeatability (the ability of a 
pen to return precisely to a given point) assures that intersecting 
lines and circular shapes will meet exactly. The result is high-quality 
charts and graphs you’ll be proud to present. 

Why 6 pens when experts say 4 will do? 

Graphics industry experts maintain that 
good graphics contain four colors per 
chart. But Hewlett-Packard goes the 
experts two better by providing a 
six-pen carousel, so you can 
store and use pens of different 
widths —thick pens for 
bold headings and thin 
pens for details. And 
with six pens, you 
won’t have to 
waste valuable time 
changing them. That’s 
important when “the 
boss wants to see your \ 
sentation in twenty minutes!” 

With the HP 7475A, you also 
get automatic pen capping to pre¬ 
vent pens from drying out between 
uses, and special “pen damping” 

(gently lowering the pen to the paper or 
transparency) to increase pen life and ensure better line quality... 
use after use after use. You also get a rainbow of 10 colors to 
choose from, in two line widths. 

Your choice: 2 paper sizes and today’s 
most popular graphics software packages 

While most professional business applications will be satisfied with 
standard 8V2 x 11 " paper or transparencies, the HP 7475A adds the 















can be the key to your success. 





capability of plotting on larger 11 x 
17" media, too. The larger plots are 
especially well-suited for time lines, 

PERT charts, schematics and engineering 
drawings. 

I lenl of all, you don’t have to be a programmer 
l<> produce quality graphics on the HP 7475A. 

IPs supported by a variety of professional graphics 
software packages for both HP and non-HP desktop 
and personal computers. 

Naturally, speaking of software compatibility leads us to 
hardware compatibility.... 


and you can easily change the pens 
yourself for multi-color plotting. Best of 
all, the HP 7470A 2-pen plotter lets you 
turn your personal computer into a personal 
graphics workstation for only $1095. 

Send for your FREE “Better 
Presentations Package” today! 

For a FREE sample plot, overhead transparency, and more 
details, mail the coupon below today. We’ll also enclose a list 
of software packages you can use with the HP 7475A or HP 7470A. 


Compatible with almost any personal 
computer in the marketplace today 

With two interfaces available, the HP 7475A quickly “makes friend’ j 
with most models of today’s most popular personal computer?, 
including IBM® Apple,™ Compaq™ Osborne® and Commodore j 
—as well as a host of HP computers. 

The cost? Surprisingly affordable 

The new HP 7475A Business Professional’s Plotter is an amaziijf 
affordable $1895. When you consider that a typical fee for a sin 
five-color transparency from a graphics service is $50—and ti^ 
the same transparency can be prepared for about $1 in mater*" 
on the HP 7475A—the return on your investment is aim' 
immediate. 

Another choice: HP’s low-cost, 
high performance 
Personal Computer Plotter 

I 'or the “business on a budget’’ you may also want a look at our 
2-pen Personal Computer Plotter, the 7470A. Its low cost (only 
$1095) is as remarkable as the quality of its plots. With many of 
I he same features as the new HP 7475A, the HP 7470A plots 
on a single paper size (8!4 x 11"). It stores and caps two pens, 


For the name of your nearest 

XT 


HEWLETT 

PACKARD 


cloys Ui 

computing in the * 
mid-seventies. 

Fourth day: Mass production. 

And Man said, “Let there be pre-assem- 
bled personal computers to separate the 
hackers from the hobbyists.” 

Fifth day: Software. 

And Man said, “Let the personal com¬ 
puters bring forth swarms of software 
packages, and let the software fly across 
to the world of business applications.” 
Sixth day: Competitors. 

And Man said, “Let the personal com¬ 
puter revolution bring forth living com¬ 
petitors according to their kinds: Apple 
A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


► 9 







6S4 KBYTE 
SYSTEM! 


AMDISK YOUR 
COLOR COMPUTER® 


Get 31 2 Kbytes* of on-line, formatte 


with the Amdisk-lll. The Am 


and com 


Egression SPquality and 
rolessionalism that lasts and lasts. 


Graphics: the end to meetings 
that go nowhere 

In a fascinating research project conducted by The University of 
Pennsylvania, 123 MBA candidates were involved in a study 
designed to test the effectiveness of business graphics in meeting 
situations. The results were startling. In the group where visual 
aids were used: 

• Meetings were shorter: The study showed a 28% reduction in 
meeting length when transparencies were used. 

• Group consensus was faster: Agreement was reached by 79% of 
the group using transparencies, compared with only 8% among 
the control group using no visual aids. 

• The decision process was accelerated: 64% of study participants 
said they made their business decisions immediately after the vis¬ 
ual presentation. When overheads were not used, the control group 
said they delayed decision-making until some time after the group 


r Computer 
the capacity 
ness of the 

it. Many 
s3" car- 
are; Frank 
Software; 
Software; 
Projects; 


edia over. 


You can purchase the Amdisk-lll from 
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Computerware: (61 9) 436-351 2 
Delker Electronics: (615) 459-2636 
DJR Micro: (800) 732-7323 
Emerald Computer: (206) 778-9826 
The JIB Company: (31 2) 952-0299 
Saguaro Software: (602) 885-6508 
Skyline Marketing: (312) 286-0762 
Spectrum Projects: (212) 441-9357 
The Software Station: (313) 532-2550 
or ask for the Amdisk-lll at your local 
computer dealer. 


Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 
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FICES: Calif. (714) 662-3949 • Texas (81 7) 498-2334 


novative computing! 


R SERVICE CARD 




















FROM THE EDITOR 
A MESSAGE FROM MAGGIE 


WE L C O M E 


TO A + 



In the beginning Man created the com¬ 
puter. The computer was without pro¬ 
portion and filled with vacuum tubes; 
and the spirit of Man was moving 
towards making a smaller computer. 

First day: Transistors. 

And Man said, “Let there be transis¬ 
tors.” And Man saw that the transistors 
were good; and Man separated the vacu¬ 
um tubes from the transistors. 

Second day: Microprocessors. 

And Man said, “Let there be a micro¬ 
processor in the midst of computers, and 
let it separate the big computers from the 
small computers.” 

Third day: Kits. 

And Man said, “Let the computer com¬ 
ponents be gathered together into one 
place, and let the personal computer 
appear in kits.” 

t We have come an 
incredibly long way 
since those early 
days of personal 
computing in the 
mid-seventies. 

Fourth day: Mass production. 

And Man said, “Let there be pre-assem- 
bled personal computers to separate the 
hackers from the hobbyists.” 

Fifth day: Software. 

And Man said, “Let the personal com¬ 
puters bring forth swarms of software 
packages, and let the software fly across 
to the world of business applications.” 
Sixth day: Competitors. 

And Man said, “Let the personal com¬ 
puter revolution bring forth living com¬ 
petitors according to their kinds: Apple 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ►9 

















and (ommodoiv and IBM and Kadio 
Shni I and mon 
Nrvrnlll day Mii)'n/inrs 
Mm dn priMHiid computers were fin- 
i In d And on die seventh day Man fin- 
e.lied In . wni k and told publishers to cre- 
ai< mapa/ines in his image. 

Mint is not exactly how the personal 
computer was created, but close enough 
lot you to get the point. We have come 
an incredibly long way since those early 
days of personal computing in the mid- 
seventies, when only engineers and pro¬ 
grammers could master the power be¬ 
hind the first personal computers. With 
the advent of mass-marketed hardware 
and software, personal computers are 
now used in all walks of life, by all kinds 
of people—people like you, who are 
using your personal computers for such 
diverse purposes as running your busi¬ 
nesses, monitoring your investments, 
and educating your children. And as you 
know, because you had to make a choice 
among equipment, the personal comput¬ 
er market is intensely competitive. 
Industry analysts all concur that a 
“shake out” in the personal computer 
arena is imminent. With nearly a million 
units being used actively and new prod¬ 
ucts in the offing, there is no doubt that 
Apple Computer will continue to be a 
leader in the personal computer field. 

It is with this knowledge—that Apple 
Computer is a remarkably successful 
company that produces innovative prod¬ 
ucts, attracts top-quality people, and has 
a vision for the future—that Ziff-Davis 
Publishing decided it was time to create a 
definitive magazine to serve the needs of 

I am looking 
forward to the 
challenge of 
providing interesting 
and useful 
information on a 
monthly basis. 

the ever-growing Apple computer com¬ 
munity. Thus, I welcome you to A + , the 
magazine for Apple computer users. 

Some of you may know of me 
through my previous incarnation as the 
editor-in-chief of Infoworld, the news¬ 
weekly for microcomputer users. During 
my years there, I chronicled the growth 
of Apple Computer from a two-man, 
garage-based operation into a 4,000- 
strong Fortune 500 company. I met 
many of the main players at Apple, from 
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to Mike 
10 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


Markula and John Scully. I was fortu¬ 
nate to get to know the people who 
designed, built, promoted, and delivered 
the products you use today. My overall 
impression was and still is of respect and 
admiration. That is not to say that Apple 
Computer has not had its share of flops 
and problems, but it is to say that Apple 
Computer is a company that embodies 
the American dream—an entrepeneurial 
dream come true. But equally important 
to financial success has been the vision 
that motivates the people who work for 
Apple. The energetic and youthful staff 
at Apple Computer fervently believes 
that the products it produces and sells are 
not only innovative, but that these prod¬ 
ucts actually improve the world we live 
and work in, and enhance the meaning of 
the commonplace. Some might argue the 
merits of this mentality, however, I per¬ 
sonally believe that this attitude will help 
Apple compete successfully against 
IBM. So, having covered Apple for 
years from the news point of view, I am 
pleased to join Ziff-Davis Publishing to 
create a new family of magazines for the 
Apple Computer user community. 

As the editor of A + , I am looking for¬ 
ward to the challenge of providing inter¬ 
esting and useful information on a 
monthly basis. I am targeting the edito¬ 
rial at the typical Apple user, whom mar¬ 
keting types like to refer to as an 
“achiever.” An “achiever” can be 
described as a man or woman in the age 
group of 18-45, who is using an Apple 
computer for professional purposes. 
(Marketing types also like to include the 
go-getter, risk taker, and sports enthusi¬ 
ast in this definition, but not many of us 
Apple users are all those things, so I pre¬ 
fer to leave that to the marketeers.) Pro¬ 
fessional uses span the entire spectrum 
of the working world, from writing a 
manuscript to keeping the books to fore¬ 
casting markets, from working at home 
to working in a large corporation. We 
will concentrate on the Apple II and 
Apple He for the obvious reason that 
they are the most prevalent products. 
However, we will include regular arti¬ 
cles on the Apple III and the Lisa, as well 
as new products, such as the Mackin¬ 
tosh, when they are introduced. 

The emphasis of the articles will be 
on practical applications, from word 
processing to database management to 
telecommunications and so forth. Al¬ 
though we are not aiming at the neophyte 
computer user, we do aim to educate. 
The goal of each issue will be to provide 
you with information on new ways to use 
your Apple and teach you how to use the 
available software and hardware to its 


fullest extent. Product reviews will be an 
integral part of A + . As the creator of the 
Report Card review section of Info- 
World, 1 am keenly aware of the impor¬ 
tance of critically evaluating the myriad 
products you must try to choose from. 

The emphasis 
of the articles will 
be on practical 
applications. 

Although we will be emphasizing off- 
the-shelf software, we will also be run¬ 
ning regular features on programming 
tips, what’s new in languages, informa¬ 
tion on utilities, and such. Fun is not to 
be neglected either, and each issue will 
have numerous game reviews in our 
That’s Entertainment section. 

Besides monthly articles on how to 
use your Apple most effectively and 
hardware and software reviews, there 
will be regular departments on users’ 
groups, new products, questions and 
answers (Rescue Squad), interesting tid¬ 
bits (Dispatches), and education, as well 
as tutorials and columnists. This first 
issue will give you a taste of what is to 
come as we forge ahead with A + . 

Always, when you start a new 
project, you want to thank all the folks 
who helped you pull together what you 
thought was the impossible dream, but to 
thank all the individuals for their contri¬ 
butions in this project would take up half 
the magazine. However, I will take a lit¬ 
tle space to say thanks to the people in 
Ziff-Davis who worked so hard to 
produce the first issue of A + . And I 
would also like to thank Kathleen Dixon, 
John Fenwick, and Rene Olson of Apple 
Computer and Steve Rosenthal for their 
invaluable assistance in this first ef¬ 
fort. 

Finally, I have a request for our new 
readers. This magazine is in existence to 
serve you, so let me know what you 
think by writing me letters with criti¬ 
cisms and, if you will, suggestions for 
articles that you would like to see in . 
I am looking forward to hearing from 
you and making A + the best editorial 
product possible!! 

















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THOUGHTWARE/BY STEVE ROSENTHAL 

How integrated are the software 
packages available on the Apple 
today? Though complete integration 
is still in the future, some current 
software is headed in that direction. 



ON THE ROAD TO INTEGRATED SOFTWARE 


Tin* ideal computer software package 
would be like one of those private secre¬ 
taries in English romance novels: effi¬ 
cient, cheery, helpful, understanding, 
and able to handle any task without so 
much as a murmur of complaint. 

Developers of integrated software are 
striving for that goal, and though they 
aren’t there yet, at least they’re on the 
way. Aside from being just “user friend¬ 
ly,’’ integrated software represents an 
attempt to, make computers more “user 
helpful.” 

Because spreadsheets (the so-called 
“calcs” or “what-if” financial models) 
and word processing are the most com¬ 
mon tasks done oil personal computers, 
these functions form the core of most 
integrated software systems. The major¬ 
ity of systems also include some kind of 
graphics output, plus a database or mail- 
list mode. 

However, when people talk about 
how “integrated” their package is, what 


they mean varies quite a lot from pack¬ 
age to package. Before taking a look at 
some current products and what they can 
do, let’s first explore the various aspects 
of integration and see what they can do 
for you. 

^ When people 
talk about how 
“integrated” their 
package is, 
what they mean 
varies quite a lot. 

Types of Integration 

For some people, any set of programs 
designed so that one program can read 
the output of another is integrated. Peo¬ 
ple at the other extreme say that in true 
integrated software, users cannot even 
tell where one program ends and the next 


begins. 

A close look reveals that most claims 
revolve around two distinct facets: soft¬ 
ware can be integrated by passing data 
back and forth, or it can be integrated by 
sharing a common interface between 
users and programs. Furthermore, each 
of these facets can be implemented over 
a range of levels. Integration is a ques¬ 
tion of degree, not a yes or no issue. 

Of the two types of integration, data 
integration is the easiest to implement 
and can be done even for programs that 
are written independently. Programs that 
are integrated by data exchange can be 
different in philosophy, style, and user 
interface. In some respects, you can con¬ 
sider even a package of programs 
designed for different machines to be an 
integrated series, if they all deliberately 
share data paths. 

The lowest level of data integration is 
simply file or communications compati¬ 
bility. If you are working one task, can 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M3 





















































11H* < Inin you ruin 01 < intlc hr used hy 

.11 tol 1 1 ( I III * I «»l I s m 111 > I • il you lll( 

wi*i I nil i |»K id In i I i (In h il way 
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Ilin> lit. Im ili.il inif’lil mli 1 1« ir willi 
ilil l I I nil* ri ilmn .in i milml i Ini 

■ i. i H • mmiiiIm i H |»i• m ill.ilmn, and 

i '• ml In > Inn llli lypiM)' key differ- 

..in nl ilu m an as ran prevent 

. pi "i i am 1 1 nn i lead ill}', I lies produced 

|i\ am 'ilu i 

In nun pioj'iams, any hit pattern is 


Irpal output, including all 256-byte pat- 
inns Byte values of 0 through 31 (0 to 
20 in hexadecimal) may be used, for 
example, to indicate character string 
lengths and not to mean the ASCII con¬ 
trol characters. Many text-handling pro¬ 
grams, however, take byte patterns 0 
through 31 to be control characters and 
react to them accordingly. 

For numbers, most arithmetic pro¬ 
grams store numbers as binary or binary- 
coded decimal values, both of which are 
ways of representing values by bits and 




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not by printable digits. A program that 
produces binary values may also 
produce data files with bit patterns that a 
program that reads text refuses to 
accept. 

Because bit patterns may not always 
be valid characters, some word process¬ 
ing programs refuse to accept input files 
that are marked as binary. Therefore, 
even if the actual bit patterns turn out to 
be printable, these editors will not read a 
file the operating system has noted as 
binary. 

Consequently, you’ll find that most 
integrated software packages that were 
written for an existing operating system 
exchange all their data as text files. Con¬ 
trol characters are filtered out, and data 
is formatted in lines of reasonable 
length. Numbers generally are given as 
character strings rather than in binary or 
binary-coded decimal values. 

Just because a file can be read, how¬ 
ever, doesn’t mean that it makes any 
sense. The next level of data integration 
addresses this key question: Can the 
receiving task make any sense of the data 
generated by the first task? To accom¬ 
plish this level of integration, the graph¬ 
ics package, for example, must be able 
not only to read a spreadsheet file, but 
al$o to recognize the values to be plotted 
and separate them from formulas and 
headings. Similarly, a word processor 
must know which fields to read from a 
database file. 

This level of data exchange requires 
that each program understand the output 
format of the others. With the knowl¬ 
edge of how the sending application 
structures a file, the receiving applica¬ 
tion can be programmed to recognize 
patterns such as the sender’s data fields, 
number formats, and text separators. 


On the Apple III, 
the furthest 
that integration has 
gone is the 
Catalyst program 
from Quark 
Incorporated. 


Several programs can standardize on 
a single format for data exchange, mak¬ 
ing it easier for a wide range of applica¬ 
tions to share data. Many of the plotting 
and graphing programs, for example, 
accept the DIF (data interchange format) 
used by VisiCalc and some similar pro¬ 
grams. 


144 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 




















































Data sharing is often a one-way 
sheet. In many current systems, most 
(asks can generate text output for inclu¬ 
sion in word processing documents. Few 
systems, however, allow text from a 
word processor to be used for any other 
task, because parsing (extracting infor¬ 
mation from a text string) is much more 
difficult to program than formatting (cre¬ 
ating text output from data). 

To reach the next level of data shar¬ 
ing, an integrated system first has to pro¬ 
vide for data transparency: Any task in 
the integrated software package must be 
able to use data generated through any 
other task, and be able to make any 
required translation without explicit in¬ 
struction from the user. For example, on 
the ideal system, you could make a list of 
cost data with the word processor and 
have it added to the database by the data¬ 
base portion of the package. You could 
also draw a chart with a graphing pack¬ 
age, and thp software would compute the 
values upon command and enter them 
into your spreadsheet. 

Once equipped with data transparen¬ 
cy, the system would then be able to go 
(lie final step to a single common data¬ 
base for the integrated package. A com¬ 
mon data system keeps only one set of 
records for each set of files, allowing 


updates to be made from any authorized 
program. For example, if you create a 
database using a list program, then make 
a change in a name using the word pro¬ 
cessor, the next time you go back to the 
list mode you will see the new name 

^ Although the goal 
of data sharing 
is clear, there ~ 
is little agreement 
about how much 
integration of 
tasks and 
procedures is 
desirable. 

instead of the old one. Similarly, if you 
use the graphics package and decide to 
change a value based on what a chart 
shows, that changed value will be used 
the next time you run the spreadsheet. 
Modes and Procedures 

Although the goal of data sharing is 
clear, there is little agreement about how 
much integration of tasks and procedures 
is desirable. Two possible goals are 


modeless operation and parallel opera 
tions. 

In modeless operation, the software 
would appear as a seamless web. Rather 
than look at where you are, you would 
have to know only where you wanted to 
end up. If you wanted to insert more 
text, it should be of no importance 
whether your previous act was defining a 
column of a spreadsheet, drawing a line 
on a chart, or typing in 20 straight pages. 
If you wanted to create a graph, you 
should have only to request one, and not 
first ask for the graphics package. 

AI (artificial intelligence) fans say 
that modeless operation is what an intel¬ 
ligent system should provide. Just like 
the private secretary, a modeless system 
would be able to switch smoothly from 
one set of operations to another based on 
the combination of instruction and con¬ 
text. 

Another view is that even if the soft¬ 
ware can understand what you want, a 
modeless system does not provide the 
essential contextual information to allow 
you to easily remember and understand 
your options. It would be like arriving 
halfway through a movie, with no sense 
of who the characters are, what they are 
doing, and how they got there. 

According to this view, an essential 



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A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M5 








































► BUT IS IT MULTITASKING? 

A number of strategies besides integration can make a 
computer system easier to use and more productive. 


Willi ;i multitasking system, the com- 
puler seemingly works on more than one 
job at once. I (specially when waiting for 
disk operations and input or output from 
the terminal, the CPU may not have any¬ 
thing else to do. In operations requiring 
mostly input and output and only short 
periods of actual computation, therefore, 
the computer can be given multiple tasks 
to do, and each one will run almost as 
fast as if it were running alone. 

Each task in a multitasking system 
can be a part of one program, or it can be 
a different program. Some of the more 
sophisticated systems even automatical¬ 
ly break long programs up into separate 
tasks, if it will speed execution. 

Concurrent systems are multitasking 
computers that run more than one sepa¬ 
rate program at a time. They generally 
are designed for a single user with only 
one terminal. The operating system must 
therefore allocate one task access to the 


element of modes is their hierarchy of 
cues. In each mode, you have only to 
remember or choose from commands 
that are related to a particular task. You 
are not at every moment faced with the 
full range of every possible command or 
choice in the complete integrated pack¬ 
age. 

For example, if you want to draw a 
dotted line at an angle, you select the 
drawing mode, then select from a rea¬ 
sonable number of choices for how to 
draw a line. You don’t have to remember 
every menu choice or command that 
might be useful for spreadsheets. There 
is no reason to add angled lines to 
spreadsheets, and the capability would 
just make operation more confusing. 

Furthermore, the modes also provide 
the system with essential clues for inter¬ 
preting ambiguous user commands. If 
you are in a word processing mode, for 
instance, and ask for a paragraph to be 
inserted at a point down the page, the 
system can reasonably expect that you 
want it lined up with the left margin of 
the existing text, unless you say other¬ 
wise. In this mode and operation, the 
exact horizontal position of the cursor 
can normally be ignored. 

On the other hand, with a graphics 
package the system might reasonably 
conclude that if your cursor is a few 
spaces to the left or right of the margin, 
that’s exactly where you want the text 
block to be positioned. Unless you ask 
16 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


screen at a time, or divide the screen into 
windows. Programs can be run concur¬ 
rently even if written for independent 
operation, but some require so much 
screen input and output that it is not 
worth trying to keep up with two at once. 

Multiuser systems are set up for more 
than one person. Along with running 
several jobs concurrently, a multiuser 
system also keeps track of passwords 
and private file spaces, and routes the 
output of each running program to the 
appropriate terminal. Some systems 
even allow each user to run more than 
one task at a time. 

A last concept that often is confused 
with integrated software is interactive 
software. While integrated means that 
two or more programs or applications 
share information and methods of opera¬ 
tion, interactive simply means that the 
software solicits information from the 
user and responds to it. — S.R. 


for a textual or graphic element to be 
aligned on some edge or grid line, a 
move operation in a graphics package 
should pay attention to both horizontal 
and vertical positions. 

Whether you prefer a modeless sys¬ 
tem or one with landmarks, one goal in 
software integration should always be to 
make instruction operation as consistent 
as possible. The instruction format for 
similar operations should be parallel 
across the full breadth of the integrated 
package. 

The lowest level 
of procedural 
integration is 
simply to provide 
a master menu from 
which you can 
select various 
programs. 

If there is a command in the spread¬ 
sheet to delete a row, it should be similar 
or identical to the word processing com¬ 
mand to delete a line. If there is a data¬ 
base command to create a new file, it 
should closely model the graphics pack¬ 
age command to create a new draw¬ 
ing. 

Furthermore, if function or control 


keys are used, these should also perform 
similar operations. The key to move the 
cursor down in a text editor should do the 
same in a drawing package. A key to 
turn on the printer echo in a database 
program should do the same in a spread¬ 
sheet. 

Parallel operations are important for 
integrated software packages, but they 
do not address the question of fluid 
movement from one application to 
another. In addition to similar com¬ 
mands, therefore, a desirable feature in 
an integrated package is procedural inte¬ 
gration. 

The lowest level of procedural inte¬ 
gration is simply to provide a master 
menu from which you can select various 
programs. Like a command shell, this 
level substitutes for the usual method of 
telling of a particular program. 

In an integrated system, only pro¬ 
grams within the integrated family are 
listed in the main menu, and you can 
pick among them by code number, let¬ 
ter, or position, rather than having to 
name them completely. On systems with 
a mouse or light pen, you can simply 
point to your choice. 

The next level of procedural integra¬ 
tion lets you go from one application to 
another without returning to the main 
menu. You could, say, go directly into a 
data communications package from a 
word processing program without going 
back to the main menu. Or while running 
WordStar with a CP/M card, you can tell 
the system to run another program and 
return to where you are without leaving 
WordStar. 

The highest level of procedural inte¬ 
gration exists in systems that let you shift 
modes without worrying about which 
mode goes with which program. If you 
complete a spreadsheet, this type of sys¬ 
tem will let you go from that point to the 
plotting routines in the graphics package 
without explicitly leaving the spread¬ 
sheet and entering the graphics package. 
When you are done with the graphs, you 
can go back and make more corrections 
on the spreadsheet. 

Integrated Software for the Apple II 

There are two widely distributed soft¬ 
ware families for the Apple II that pro¬ 
vide significant levels of integration. 
The first is the pfs series from Software 
Publishing Corporation, and the second 
is the VisiSeries from VisiCorp. 

The pfs series started as a one-pro¬ 
gram product, now called pfs .file. But 
now there is a whole family of programs, 
with defined data paths between many 
and some similarity in operation (see 
Figure 1). So far, there is no spreadsheet 




























Introducing the first 
computer gomes 


that pay you to own them 


Virtually all computer games 
provide entertainment value. 

These new games from Blue Chip 
also give you practical value—of the 
most rewarding kind. 

They put you in high-powered, real- 
world environments. Where you create 
strategies. React to constantly changing 
conditions. And learn solid skills in 
competing for extraordinary payoffs: 

Million aire™ You build a portfolio of 
actual NYSE companies, whose fortunes 
ore tied to o universe of plausible events profit. With these practical new gomes 
ond variables to consider. Over 
000,000 possible combinations of 
events mean you con ploy a lifetime 
without o repeat. 

Baron™ Buy ond sell oil manner of 
real estate nationwide as you strive to 
amass a personal empire. Factors 
include realistic property values, overall 
economy ond local idiosyncrasies. 


Tyco on™ If gold, silver, foreign cur¬ 
rencies or other commodifies quicken 
your pulse, ploy Tycoon ond leorn the 
ins and oufs of this most volatile of 
financial arenas. 


DLUE CHIP SOFTWARE • (213) 881-8288 


Available wherever finer software is sold On disk for 
DEC Rainbow 100. DECmarell IBM PC Tl Professional 
Apple Commodore 64 Osborne Atari Kaypro 
and others 

CIRCLE 112 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



|)Kulu< I in llw \» i it ur.lrml lh»’wyslnn 

I illl|| In mil » II I "I III P lit I ill»• I by 
\ I'lK HI |» \ l\H \ll I ,1111 

liln m i) 1 1 1 ih< |tin i up 'In iM»i have 

n»\ • • • it1111• *m ..Ini ill In II any pm I. 

it m nppl 1 1 ill ii in In n .nl by (Ik* 

• i I. "i I In p/s.^niph 

i'll hi »• ill \ /w( til i hies as well 

^ Ono goal in 

.ollware integration 
should always be 
to make instruction 
operation 
as consistent as 
possible. 

as files for pfs .file. The pfs:report pro¬ 
gram also reads pfs:file data. 

Thus, data entered into the database 
can be shown as graphs, as formatted 
reports, and as merged data in letters or 
other text files. 

VisiCalc files also can be transformed 
to graphs or text files (and the graphs can 
then be included in the text files as well). 
The word processing program, 
pfs:write, reads files from any member 
of the series, as well as VisiCalc files and 


rxlrmal ASCII (ext files. 

So lar, a I least, there are no reverse 
(Iala paths. Data from the database can- 
no! he routed to VisiCalc, nor can text 
files from pfs :write be added to 
pfs.file. 

On the command level, there is some 
similarity between the four pfs pro¬ 
grams. In general, function key usage is 
the same or parallel, as are many of the 
operational commands. But since the 
package uses a “foreign” spreadsheet, 
there is no special operational similarity 
there. 

VisiCorp has also parlayed a single 
successful product into a complete line. 
From the highly successful VisiCalc, the 
company has added VisiTrend, Visi- 
Trend/Plot, Desktop/Plan, VisiLink, Vi- 
siWord, and VisiFile. 

Again, data from the file program can 
be read by the word processing and 
graphics packages, and the VisiCalc data 
can supply information to most of the 
others. 

A significant number of the data 
exchange paths in the VisiSeries go both 
ways. For example, not only can the 
VisiCalc program supply information for 
VisiFile, but data from VisiFile data can 
be used in spreadsheets as well. 

VisiCorp also has made an effort to 


keep program operation parallel. Al¬ 
though there are some differences, all of 
the programs have similar command 
interfaces and use mostly the same con¬ 
trol characters. 

VisiCorp is now hard at work on their 
VisiOn environment, which should pro¬ 
vide a much higher level of procedural 
integration as well. 

Integrated Software for the Apple III 

On the Apple III, the furthest that inte¬ 
gration has gone is the Catalyst program 
from Quark Incorporated. Like a super¬ 
menu, this program lets you display all 
the available programs on the hard disk 
and invoke any one without reloading 
from the floppy disk. 

The Catalyst program originally was 
advertised as a mere “hard disk boot” 
program for keeping all your software on 
the Apple Profile hard disk. Among its 
virtues is that it allows you to move 
copy-protected software to the hard disk, 
but retains that level of protection 
against further duplication. 

Now that users want integrated soft¬ 
ware, Apple is touting Catalyst as an 
integrated environment. But in the terms 
discussed above, Catalyst provided only 
file exchange and a master menu. Since 
the individual programs are unaltered, 
there is no guarantee that one program 



Introducing the new Scorpio 
EXPLORE THE MOON 


ALL FOR THE UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICE OF $660.00!!! 

Available at computer stores everywhere. 

Or order direct and receive a 10% Introductory Factory Rebate through 
January 1,1984. 

130 page manual only $20 prepaid. 

Dealerships currently available. 

Prices and specifications subject to 
change without notice. 


RHINO 

ROBOTS 


from Rhino® 

The Scorpion is a versatile robot designed 
especially for the serious robot enthusiast. By 
following the detailed instructions included in the 
kit, you can build this highly sophisticated and 
entertaining device. With 32 lines of I/O and 
complex machine intelligence capability, it is 
completely software programmable. Among the 
many talents of the Scorpion are its ability to see 
and read codes, to learn obstacle locations and 
avoid them, and to follow a tape on the floor at 99 
different speeds. 

LOOK AT THESE CHALLENGING 
AND EXCITING FEATURES: 

RS-232 C serial interface allows the Scorpion to obey 
instructions and answer questions from any host 
computer with a serial printer interface. 

6502 microprocessor on board with 8 K of EPROM and 
2K of RAM, expandable to a full 64K system. 

The special Scorpion language with 30 instructions is 
explained in detail in the 130 page manual ( 8 V 2 x 11 ) 
accompanying the kit. 

The two axis optical scanner provides data for pattern 
recognition and camera experiments. Over a 300 
degree scan in both vertical and horizontal planes. The 
visual patterns can be displayed in the computer CRT. 


Order today: 

Rhino Robots, Inc. 

P.O. Box 4010, 2505 S. Neil St. 
Champaign, IL 61820 
217/352-8485 

Telex: 3734731 RHINO ROBOTS C 


184 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


CIRCLE 113 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





















m make sense of files provided by 
hi*‘ flier, nor that the procedures used in 

• mm* program will produce parallel results 
in another. 

Apple is also trying to make its sup- 
poi led software for the Apple III data 
compatible. But thus far that effort 
c \ i i*i ids only to the BPI accounting pack- 
ij’i and AppleFile, both of which share 
ili* KPS (record processing service) data 
format. 

I he Integrated Lisa 

The Apple Lisa represents the most 
ambitious computer thus far by any per- 
•onal computer maker to produce a truly 
integrated package. As released, thepro- 

• * duraI and task integration set impres- 
ivc standards, but data interchange is 

only slightly more advanced than several 
Apple II products (see Figure 2). 

The striking feature of the Lisa is the 
icon and mouse system, and its image of 
tin work space as an office desktop. 
With the icon and mouse system, most 
I n net ions are represented by on-screen 
pictures, and a mouse is used to point to 
lhe desired choice. The mouse also is 
used to point to choices on menus, where 

• lections are primarily identified by text 
instead of by picture. 

Ihe Lisa environment is strongly 
mode oriented. Initially, the six modes 


provided are a word processor (Lisa- 
Text), a spreadsheet (LisaCalc), a graph¬ 
ics package (LisaGraph), a drawing 
package (LisaDraw), a very limited 
database (LisaList), and a project sched¬ 
ule program (LisaProject). So far only a 
communications program (LisaTermi- 

m The Apple Lisa 
r represents the 
most ambitious 
attempt thus far 
by any personal 
computer maker 
to produce a 
truly integrated 
package. 

rial) has been added, but more are in the 
works. 

Although there are some functions 
that can be done in more than one pro¬ 
gram, you can operate in only one mode 
at a time, and only commands from that 
application are valid. For example, if 
you are working with the LisaCalc 
spreadsheet program, you can’t draw 
pictures in the margins with LisaDraw. 


If you want to go back and forth 
between applications, you can open a 
window on the screen and start a new 
task. But at any time, you can only stack 
tasks and work on the top one, rather 
than place them side by side and do 
both. 

Some tasks can continue to operate 
even if they are not on the top of the pile. 
At present, this feature seems to be used 
mostly for demonstrations with moving 
images; it should turn out to be quite use¬ 
ful as more software is developed. 

Among the nicest features is that the 
procedural parallelism on the Lisa is 
almost complete, a feature that greatly 
eases training and operation. Cursor 
movement works the same way in all 
modes many menus are the same, and 
the techniques of selection and activa¬ 
tion are identical. 

However, it is still early to tell what 
the possibilities are for the Lisa system. 
Apple has only recently released their 
Lisa Toolkit to outside program develop¬ 
ers, and the results should start coming 
in fairly soon. If software developers use 
what Apple has provided in the desktop 
metaphor, the icon system, and all the 
operating parallels, the integrated do¬ 
main of the Lisa could extend out in 
many additional directions. + 


A REPORTING SYSTEM FOR A SPREADSHEET DATABASE 

(for any VisiCalc® or Lotus 1-2-3® User) 


l in ,i « l.ti.tl M'.r r.yfilrms consider rows of data fields as records. The 3-D concept promoted by Abacus says to consider an entire report as a record. 
I lu n loie, visualize "pages" of reports stacked-on or scattered-around your desk; these would constitute your database. 



VW-MON 


Willi Viz-A-Merge (Namely-A-Merge System) you can "cut and paste" 

sections of spreadsheet reports together to form new reports- 

Electronically!!! As a spreadsheet utility Viz-A-Merge allows you to 
combine sections, rows, columns, or single cells from any number of 
spreadsheet pages into one new report, or into an existing report, then 
recalculate selected formulas. For example, you could "cut" total year 
end columns from Department reports and the consolidated reports, 
then "paste" them together for overall company analysis. Or, you could 
place a total sales row into an income statement and recalculate all 
formulas. 


With Viz-A-Con (Namely-A-Consolidation System) you can add 3-Di¬ 
mensional capability to your spreadsheet program. As a Report Writer 
to your database, Viz-A-Con allows you to select records ("pages"), get 
sub-totals and totals for all number fields, and have customized labels 
on ihe final report. For example you can perform hierarchical con¬ 
solidations (Dept., Div., Company) or time period roll-up (Day, Week, 
Month, Qtr., Year). You can consolidate up to 50 files in one process and 
you can tie together as many as 80 processes in one group. Then play 
"what if" with VisiCalc and regenerate all reports in one single step. 


Each Product has a simple Question & Answer procedure to assist you in organizing your report processes. You can create a complete reporting network 
from a spreadsheet database. They have the ability to "remember" the steps they went through to create the final reports. You can use your spreadsheet 
program to recalculate new data, then use our products to regenerate all new reports in one single step. Also, you can set-up special formulas to calculate 
additional data fields within the new reports. You can customize titles, row and column headings, footnotes, etc. for each report. 

Both products include sample sessions which are easy to understand, allowing the average person to learn them in only 15 minutes. They are both 
compatible with dBase II™ (IBM), PFS Graph® and a host of popular products. 

Abacus Associates is dedicated to producing products that allow users to create customized reporting systems tailored to the way they manually 
organize their data. 

Please order either Viz-A-Merge or Viz-A-Con directly from Abacus Associates. Send your check or money order to Abacus Associates, 6565 W. Loop 
South, Suite 240, Bellaire, TX 77401, or credit card customers may CALL TOLL FREE (800) 547-5995, ext. 170. In Nebraska, (800) 642-9606, ext. 170. 

Apple II, II+ , He, TRS-80 I, III, IV.$ 99.95 

Apple III, TRS-80 11/12/16, IBM-PC.$139.95 

Add $3.95 S & H per package. 

Look for forthcoming 3-D application templates 



CIRCLE 114 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M9 






















































Datamost President 
out of mind. 

At Datamost, we’ve got a president who knows the 
difference between “out of your mind” and having an 
“open mind.” 

So he’s building a computer software company that 
knows how to get the most out of any mind. 

Two years ago, when we began to publish the indus¬ 
try’s first universally acclaimed system of computer 
software training books, we were told, “Datamost, 
you’re crazy!” 

So we published anyway. 

Today, the hottest new software category is the com¬ 
puter Bookware market. 

And guess whose books are the #1 best-sellers? 

Yes, “crazy” Datamost. 

Somehow, our craziness made good book sense. And 
good business sense. Because our book language is 
language that everyday people use when they talk 
everyday talk. 

And Datamost talks Apple.* And we talk Atari.* 

And IBM.* And Commodore! And Timex/Sinclair* And 
T.I.* and more. 

For every level of computer literacy. From people 
who know nothing. To people who know everything. 

But our president wasn’t satisfied. “Who says there’s 
a limit to our craziness?” he demanded. 

“I want to see the Datamost name on the freshest, 
brightest, most mind-stretching arcade quality home 
computer games the industry has ever seen.” 

And once again, we were told, “Datamost, you’re 
crazy!” 

But this time, we said “you’re right.” 

So get ready. For games with original music for 
Apple, Atari, Commodore and IBM home computers. 

Coming to you. From Datamost. 

Where the most open mind is alive. And well. 

And crazy. Like a fox. 

m DATAMOST 

The most out of our minds.' 

*Apple is a trademark of Apple Computers. *Atari is a trademark of Atari Computers. ’Commodore 
is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, Inc. ’Timex/Sinclair is a trademark of Timex, Inc. 

’IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines, Corp. ’T.I. is a trademark of Texas Instruments. 

Datamost, Inc. 8943 Fullbright Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311. (213) 709-1202 

CIRCLE 115 ON READER SERVICE CARD 




□ ACCOUNTS PAYABLE □ MAILING □ SPELLING □ COMMUNICATIONS □ REAL ESTATE □ TAXES □ STOCK MARKET □ INVENTORIES □ HEATH/ZENITH 89 8" 


□ APPLE □ EAGLE □ IBM, PC □ NORTHSTAR □ TRS-80 II 8" □ OSBORNE □ FRANKLIN □ STANDARD CP/M 8” 

RENT SOFTWARE 
BEFORE YOU BUY! 

from our 

SOFTWARE 

RENTAL LIBRARY 

You can now RENT the most popular software available for just 

20 - 25 %* of Manufacturers’ Retail Price 

• Eliminate the risk—rent first! 

• 100% of rental fee applies toward purchase 

• All purchases are 20% Off of Manufacturer’s 
Suggested List 

• Rentals are for 7-days (plus 3 days grace for return 
shipping) 

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER 

There are now 2 different plans to choose from: 


Join the Game Group, $25.00 per year 
and rent as many games as you like for 
only 20-25% of Mfrs. Sugg. Retail Price* 


Minimum order, 3 game rentals 


Join the Business Group, $50.00 per 

year and rent as many business applica¬ 
tion programs as you like for only 
20-25% of Mfrs. Sugg. Retail Price* 

REMEMBER, THESE ARE NOT DEMOS, BUT ORIGINAL 
UNRESTRICTED SOFTWARE PROGRAMS 

(complete with manuals in orisinal manufacturers’ packages) 

To Immediately Order, or for more information: 

U NITED COMPUTER CORR To " Free CALL1 ' 800 

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EDUCATIONAL □ ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE DWORD PROCESSORSD DATA BASES□ LANGUAGES □ GRAPHIC 


CIRCLE 174 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


□ XEROX 820 □ GAMES □ COMPILERS □ UTILITIES □ BUSINESS □ ACCOUNTING □ SPREAD SHEETS □ MEDICAL □ DENTAL □ PAYROLL □ GENERAL LEDGER □ 
























A+ DISPATCHES 


► TOTE THAT 
PRINTER, 

MOVE THAT 
DISK DRIVE! 

lioxes of books litter the 
llooi. “Helpful” friends 
lounge around with glasses 
ol wine, saying, “I’ll be 
with you just as soon as I 
finish this.” You can’t re¬ 
member where you left the 
lii|K\ the scissors, or the 
eat. 

Yes, it’s moving time. 
Mill this go-around you 
have a new worry: how to 
move this delicate piece of 
mat hincry that is your Ap¬ 
ple without crushing or 
static -frying its innards. 

The key is to immobi¬ 
lize youi i omputer, says 
lloli Mullm ol Office Mov 
• i liu I Uimagc mines 
with movement. 

Ideally, of course, you 
saved the original packing 
eases your computer came 
m T hose specially-de¬ 
signed styrofoam molds re¬ 
ally do an excellent job of 
shielding the crucial 
pieces. What, you threw 
them away or let the chil¬ 
dren turn them into forts? 
Okay, the next step is to 
buy styrofoam popcorn or 
bubble wrap, which are ac¬ 
ceptable substitutes. Or 
you could wrap the com¬ 
puter in layers of cloth—if 
that’s your choice, though, 
be sure the cloth won’t at¬ 
tract dust. Avoid rugs. 

If you have a profes¬ 
sional mover lugging your 
stuff, check into extra in¬ 
surance. Most firms insure 
on a per-pound rate, which 
isn’t helpful with a 20 lb 
< omputer worth $3,000. 



Some more costly insur¬ 
ance plans include full re¬ 
placement value. 

And as for your floppy 
disks, those precious 
squares of priceless infor¬ 
mation: move them in your 
car yourself, says Mullin. 

Just keep them away from 
heat and metal, to avoid 
static discharges. 

► HARD TALK 
ON 

SOFTWARE 

COPYRIGHTS 

Everyone talks about the 
widespread and sometimes 
flagrant violations of soft¬ 
ware copyrights in educa¬ 
tion, but nobody does any¬ 
thing about it. 

Now, however, trying 
to stem the rush of unau¬ 
thorized copies of educa¬ 
tional software and docu¬ 
mentation, the International 
Council for Computers in 
Education has stepped in. 

The ICCE recently 
adopted a “Policy State¬ 
ment on Network and Mul¬ 
tiple Machine Software” to 
help educational organiza¬ 
tions conform to software 
agreements and copyright 
laws. Written by a commit¬ 
tee of educators, publish¬ 
ers, and vendors, the poli¬ 
cy statement is aimed pri¬ 
marily at educators, but it 
also urges vendors to pro¬ 
vide network-compatible 
versions of software and 
multiple-copy discounts at 
reasonable costs. 

The statement suggests 
a district policy on soft¬ 
ware copyright, a software 
policy for a community 
college with a large micro¬ 
computer lab, and a format 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^23 

























































































































A+ y DISPATCHES 


hu .olivvim liii-nscs. Ii 
,il.«» nllcis some technical 
notrs on software encryp¬ 
tion for soft ware/hardware 
vendors. 

Copies of the statement 
are available from ICCE at 
the University of Oregon, 
1787 Agate St., Eugene, 
OR 94703, (503) 686- 
4414. 

► ROBOTICS: 
FROM 

BLACK AND 
WHITE TO 
BLACK AND 
DECKER 

The same machine that can 
pick up a knight and move 
it three spaces ahead, two 
to the right, can also check 
drill bits on an assembly 
line. That’s what Microbot, 
developers of a robotic arm 


called the MiniMover-5, 
have found as academia 
and industry test the latest 
techniques in computer- 
controlled manufacturing. 

Dr. K. K. Wang, pro¬ 
fessor of mechanical and 
aerospace engineering at 
Cornell University, paired 
an Apple II computer with 
the table-top arm of the 
24 < A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


MiniMover-5 to teach his 
students. The unit comes 
with a firmware card that 
slips into one of the Apple 
II’s extension slots—this 
card lets users program the 
robotic arm using Microbot 
ARMBASIC. 

One of Wang’s students 
developed a chess program 
as a course project, 
“teaching” the arm to 
move chess pieces via the 
Apple keyboard. Simple 
enough. However, a more 
sophisticated application of 
the MiniMover-5 came 
from Black and Decker 
Manufacturing Company. 
Controlled by a multiple- 
loop ARMBASIC program 
more than 400 steps long, 
the robotic arm picks up 
partly-finished router bits, 
tests their diameters, and 
places them in the tooling 
chuck to complete the tool¬ 
ing process. 


The Black and Decker 
project was planned from 
the outset as an example of 
what an inexpensive robot 
and an inexpensive com¬ 
puter can accomplish to¬ 
gether, said a manager at 
Black and Decker. He 
said, “We chose an Apple 
because it’s something ev¬ 
eryone understands.” 


► BUT WILL IT 
PLAY IN 
CUPERTINO? 

The authors of “War- 
Games,” the box-office 
smash film that may yet 
make data encryption a 
household word, visited 
Apple Computer to explain 
how it just couldn’t happen 
that way. Really. They 
think. 

Larry Lasker and Walter 
Parkes, who wrote the 
movie’s screenplay, wowed 
the latest Apple Indepen¬ 
dent Developers Confer¬ 
ence with film clips and 
funny stories about the 
flick. Lasker and Parkes 
said that although each se¬ 
curity breakthrough depic¬ 
ted in the movie actually 
occurred as an isolated in¬ 
cident, that constellation of 
events has never happened 
together, and probably nev¬ 
er could. They noted that 
the moral issues bandied 
about in “WarGames” 
didn’t come up until after 
they’d started writing. 

Strangely enough, nei¬ 
ther Lasker nor Parkes had 
ever owned computers. Af¬ 
ter their boffo debut at the 
conference, Apple decided 
to remedy that by “Appr¬ 
izing” them with T-shirts, 
pens, paper ... oh, and 
an Apple lie for each. 

Now, if the password 
“Joshua” pops up on your 
screen. . . . 

► UNIVERSAL 
BAR CODE 

Forget the Columbia 
School of Bartending. Be¬ 
come your own computer 
bartender with a home bar 



guide called “Drinks on a 
Disk.” 

This “computerbook” 
by Homemaker Software of 
Palo Alto, California is no 
dry tome—discriminating 
tipplers can drink in 110 
plain or fancy recipes from 
32 categories, from Old 
Favorites to Trendy Drinks 
to Calorie Conscious, even 
Non-Alcoholic. 

You can even punch up 
your bartending expertise 
with a quick review of li¬ 
quor measurements, proper 
glassware, and bar equip¬ 
ment. No data input or 
technical knowledge is re¬ 
quired, just enough sober 
reflection to push a button. 
Bottoms up! 

► A MATTER 
OF POLICY 

Keep your computer in 
good hands—check to see 
whether your insurance 
policy protects your pre¬ 
cious Apple He from theft, 
flooding, or electrical dam¬ 
age. 

More than 1.4 million 
people have a personal 
business computer in their 
home, but few have taken 
advantage of some insur¬ 
ance companies newest 
gimmick: “scheduled per¬ 
sonal electronic equipment 
endorsement.” With the 
flick of a pen you can tack 
on coverage for your per¬ 
sonal computer to your ex¬ 
isting homeowner’s or rent¬ 
er’s policy to the tune of 
$2 per $1,000 in value. 

The endorsement effec¬ 
tively circumvents the nor¬ 
mal $1,000 limitation in 
value on business equip¬ 
ment in the home and 
raises that limit to 
































based business is that his 
Apple overheats. Says Svo¬ 
boda, “I believe the Apple 
is too small and needs a 
minimum of seven inter¬ 
face cards to implement a 
large full-fledged Remote 
CP/M System.” Look out, 
Steve Jobs—the kids can’t 
wait! 

► BYTE BAT 

BATTERS 

BETTER 


$20,000. That limit doesn’t 
.tiled anyone who uses 
iI k ii computer only for 
pusonal matters, according 
to Donald L. Brown, agent 
lot flic Kemper insurance 
group. Unfortunately, no 
insurance firm appears to 
D ottering a stand-alone 
pt iuitfiitl i omputcr insur- 
*tit • |mlu y yd. bill with 
1 1 it buigconing number of 
n tpicsls lor endorsements, 
individual coverage could 
In available soon. Take a 
pandci at your own poli¬ 
cy's line print. 

►SHAKING 

THE 

LEARNING 

TREE 

It you want your kids to 
really learn rather than 
merely parrot the teacher 
or play computer games, 
get them an Apple. 

That’s because the Ap¬ 
ple is currently the only 
machine to run what some 
* \|>erts consider the best 
educational software, such 
is Logo and Bank Street 
Writer. 

Marc Tucker of Annap¬ 
olis, Maryland, who is cur¬ 


rently studying the use of 
personal computers in edu¬ 
cation on a grant from the 
Carnegie Corporation, 
shies away from recom¬ 
mending a particular brand 
of computer (though he 
himself is an Apple own¬ 
er). 

He does recommend, 
however, that parents steer 
their children away from 
just drilling and practicing 
rote work with computers. 
You’ll help your children 
most if you let them 
“study” with packaged 
programs like Logo on 
their own, he believes— 
that way they’ll figure out 
how to record, to analyze, 
and to express themselves 
most comfortably. 

And that. Tucker thinks, 
is the key to real learning. 

► YOUNG MR. 
LINKIN’ 

Ed Svoboda, Jr., may be 
one of the nation’s youn¬ 
gest postmasters. At the 
age of 14, he already runs 
his own software network 
and electronic post office 
on an Apple II in his bed¬ 
room at home. 

Svoboda’s non-profit 


business, the Silicon Val¬ 
ley Interchange Remote 
CP/M Public Domain File 
Transfer and Electronic 
Mail Facility, has logged 
more than 3,000 calls from 
all over the United States. 
His system links CP/M us¬ 
ers and users of specific 
languages and hardware 
systems, and allows imme¬ 
diate and wide use of pub¬ 
lic domain software. 

Though he’s only been 
studying computers for five 
years, Svoboda is already 
honing the tone of an ex¬ 
pert. The one problem he 
cites with his Sunnyvale- 


Had one too many system 
crashes? Would you rather 
“Control-Y” all your soft¬ 
ware? Well, don’t take it 
out on your family or your 
furniture—strike back at 
your recalcitrant computer 
with the new Byte Bat. 

This “universally com¬ 
patible foamware” is a 17- 
inch-long foam-rubber bat, 
similar to the “Bataca” 
bats used in encounter 
groups for humans. The 
Byte Bat looks tough and 
makes a satisfying but 
harmless thud against the 
surface of an errant Apple. 



A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^25 

















































































A+ DISPATCHES 



It comes with a special 
user badge, a two-color 
poster demonstrating prop¬ 
er use of the bat, and a 
warning decal that pro¬ 
claims “this computer- 
friendly liveware is pro¬ 
tected by Byte Bat.” 

The Byte Bat, manufac¬ 
tured by MicroTie Systems 
Corporation of Albuquer¬ 
que, New Mexico, has al¬ 
ready sold out its test run 
of 10,000 bats. MicroTie 
plans to saturate the market 
with silicon swatters for 
the Christmas rush. 

Can homes for battered 
computers be far behind? 

► SQUEEZING 
BLOOD OUT 
OF AN APPLE 

If you thought your doctor 
would never know you’ve 
stopped eating your health¬ 
giving bran muffin every 


morning, be warned that 
those days of ignorance are 
nearly over. 

Dr. Ronald S. Lank¬ 
ford, M.D., of the Wil- 
shire Medical Group in 
Des Moines, Iowa, reports 
that he’s employed his Ap¬ 
ple computers to check 
back on patients’ appoint¬ 
ments to make sure they’re 
following instructions. 

Lankford ordered his 
Apple II Plus to search his 
database of clinical records 
and locate patients diag¬ 
nosed as having high blood 
pressure. Then he exam¬ 
ined their appointment 
records to see who had 
missed appointments. The 
result: in 20 minutes he’d 
combed through 6 months 
of data to unearth 7 people 
who probably weren’t tak¬ 
ing their anti-hypertension 
medication. He followed 
up with a discreet phone 
call. 


► CHARTING 
TRUE LOVE’S 
COURSE 

Today’s egalitarian rela¬ 
tionships require more fine 
tuning than in earlier, less 
divorce-prone times. It’s 
hard to remember all the 
niggling entries in that gi¬ 
ant double-entry book of 
relationship accounting. Is 
it your turn to indulge your 
domestic associate’s quirky 
cravings, or should your 
mate give this time while 
you take? 

Elizabeth Weal, who 
works in Apple Computer’s 
publications department, 
proposes a modest solution 
to the endless trend analy¬ 
sis of today’s twosomes— 
drag in the computer as 
scorekeeper. 

“A relationship is an 
objective entity,” capable 
of being quantified and tal¬ 
lied like any business 
transaction, claims Weal. 
Just develop a database for 
your relationship to record 
information about each dai¬ 
ly compromise, and consult 
the computer whenever 
conflict crops up. Did you 


pick the restaurant for three 
weeks in a row? Does your 
mate hold back on giving 
any gift more extravagant 
than a can of tennis balls? 
Your computer can log in 
all the data and present it 
in pretty (or damning) pie 
charts. 

Weal recommends, by 
the way, that you purchase 
a portable computer for 
your recordkeeping. It’s a 
real drag to schlep home to 
check out your stats. 

► A+ WANTS 
YOU 

Do you have news, gossip, 
or unusual computer stories 
for the Dispatches section? 
We will pay up to $50 for 
each submission used. You 
must include your name, 
address, and telephone 
number with the item. We 
will preserve your anonym¬ 
ity if you wish. All sub¬ 
missions for Dispatches be¬ 
come the property of A + 
and are subject to editing. 
Please send submissions to 
the Dispatches department, 
at A +, 654 Bair Island 
Rd., Suite 212, Redwood 
City, CA 94063. 



26 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 























































CAN YOUR WORD PROCESSOR DO THIS? 



ACTUAL TECHWRITER™ SCREEN DISPLAY 


TechWriter can display on the screen, under 1ined text , boldfaced text, 
both underlined and boldfaced together , superscripts lik<> 1 ;?00°C or a 2 +b 2 -c 2 , 
subscripts like H 2 S0„, and many other features such as marking of variables 
with overbar, tilde, etc. For example, f, to, a, n, IJ, etc. The sample 
(Miuatlons below display on the screen almost exactly as they are printed. 


J* r*(x) X(x) to(x) dx = J 0* + r* + V 



ACTUAL TECHWRITER™ PRINTOUT 


TechWriter™ cani 


TechWriter is the first full function scientific technical word processor ever developed for personal computers. 

TechWriter is available for the APPLE II PLUS, APPLE lie, IBM PC, NORTHSTAR ADVANTAGE, 
TELEVIDEO MODEL 803, and (soon) the TELEVIDEO GRAPHICS PORTABLE 

Trademarks: TechWriter, Computer Mart, Inc.; Apple II Plus, and Apple lie, Apple Computer, Inc., IBM PC, International Business Machines, Inc. 


TECHWRITER™ IS AVAILABLE FROM 


Computer Mart, Inc. 


CIRCLE 117 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


1395 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02154 
(617) 899-4540 Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10-5 

























Apples new 
Monitor II. 
A sight for 
sore eyes. 

If you’ve been using aTV as 
a monitor, perhaps you can get 
a friend to read this for you: 

Apple’s brand new Monitor 
II will improve your vision. 

It features all the latest 
ergonomic improvements in 
monitor technology. 

For example: 

Studies have shown that 
the leading cause of eye fatigue 
for computer users is lack of 
contrast between the displayed 
characters and their background. 

So we designed the Monitor 
II around a high contrast green 
phosphor CRT that provides an 
extremely dark background. 
That means you can read text 
at a lower brightness. And 
that means you can be more 
productive — working longer 
and more comfortably. 

Toward that same end, we 
also gave Monitor II a tilt screen. 
So you can angle it perfectly for 
your working position, without 
scooting your chair around or 
sitting on phone books. 

And we made that screen 
antireflective to reduce glare 
from ambient light. 

Monitor II also features 
a high bandwidth video 
amplifier and a high tolerance 
linearity circuit. The former 
keeps characters from smearing 


on the screen and eliminates the 
annoying “ghosts” left by a fast 
moving cursor. The latter keeps 
characters crisp, legible and 
prevents “keystoning” right up 
to the edges of the display. Both 
add up to superior display of 
80 -column text and extremely 


accurate graphics. 

Designed as the perfect 
system partner for the Apple" He 
Personal Computer, Monitor II 
requires no monitor stand. It’s a 
perfect fit, aesthetically as well 
as technically. So it’s pleasing to 
the eye even when it’s turned 
off. See for yourself. 

At your local authorized 
Apple dealer. 



Screen tilts for 
best working position. 


Antireflective screen. 


Interior of CRT is etched to reduce 
glare and improve crispness. 


Fits perfectly atop the Apple He. 




















































Now Apple 
plots color. 

Since color graphics are 
I»mining ever more important 
111 1 ti isiness, we’ve been hearing 
11 k ire and more calls for a color 
I >l( tiler as reliable as an Apple. 

I lere it is: 

Apple’s new Color Plotter 
'.hi generate all kinds of presen- 
i. 11 H ti i graphics, engineering 
c Irawings or anything else you 
I iave to illustrate in up to eight 
I ii tlliant colors. 

A nd it can perform its art on 
any size paper up to 11"x IT.' 

( V, with optional transparency 
I tons, it can draw right on 
11.11 isparent film for overhead 
projection. 

Measuring just 4.8"H x 16"W 
12"l\ it’s the smallest four- 
< < if ii , wide bed color plotter you 
can buy — about half the size 
of conventional flatbed 
plotters. So it takes up 
less space on your 
i leslc and can easily be 


High tolerance 
linearity circuit. 


1CH1BAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY 


moved to someone else’s desk. 

There are two color plotter 
accessory kits to choose from 
to assure a perfect marriage with 
your Apple II or lie, or Apple III. 

Each kit comes with eight 
color pens — red, blue, green, 
black, burnt orange, gold, violet 
and brown. Plus a starter 
package of plotter paper. Plus 
all the manuals, documentation 
and cables appropriate to 


your particular kind of Apple. 
So you can get up and coloring 
right away. 

Apple also offers a complete 
selection of 24 different pen 
packages — so you can choose 
whatever colors you need in a 
variety of widths for a variety of 
applications and media types. 

As you might expect, all of 
the above is available at many 
of our authorized Apple dealers. 


Carry on with AppleCare 
Carry-In Service. 


No matter how long you’ve 
owned your Apple system, 
you can now get a long term 
service contract at a very 
reasonable cost. 

AppleCare Carry-In Service 
is a service plan that will 
cover most Apple-branded 
components in your system 
for one full year. 

It covers an unlimited 
number of repairs and is 
honored by over 1500 authorized 
Apple dealers nationwide. 

Apple-trained technicians 
assure you of the highest quality 
service, fast — in most cases less 
than 24 hours. 


AppleCare 
Carry-In Service is ideal 
for anyone who needs to 
know ahead of time the cost of 
maintenance for their system. 

So check out the details — 
you’ll find it’s the lowest cost 
health plan an Apple can have. 


\/•/»/<• C Computer Inc., 20525 Mariani Ave., Cupertino, Calif. 95014. For (he authorized dealer nearest you, call (800) 538-9696. © 1983 Apple Computer Inc. 


'I'plt i .ire is a service mark of Apple Computer Inc. 


CIRCLE 118 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


























































APPLIED ENGINEERING 

INI Id SI PI K I PI II RALS FOR THE BEST COMPUTER 


llu IIMI MAS 11 It 
I Im illy i < I «m I. tli. 1 1 dtM'i ll AI It 



• I ncd 111 1983 using I.C. technologies that simply did not exist 
whi ‘11 most other Apple clocks were designed. 

• Just plug it in and your programs can read the year, month, date, day, 
,ind time to 1 millisecond! The only clock with both year and ms. 

• Powerful 2K ROM driver — No clock could be easier to use. 

• Full emulation of most other clocks, including Mountain Hardware's 
Appleclock (but you'll like the TIMEMASTER mode better). 

• Basic, Machine Code, CP/M and Pascal software on 2 disks! 

• Eight software controlled interrupts so you can execute two programs 
at the same time. (Many examples are included) 

• On board timer lets you time any interval up to 48 days long down to 
the nearest millisecond. 

The TIMEMASTER includes 2 disks with some really fantastic time 
oriented programs (over 25) plus a DOS dater so it will automatically add 
the date when disk files are created or modified. This disk is over a 
$200.00 value alone — we give the software others sell. All software 
packages for business, data base management and communications are 
made to read the TIMEMASTER. 

If you want the most powerful and the easiest to use clock for your Apple, 
you want a TIMEMASTER. PRICE $129 00 











Super Music Synthesizer 


Complete 16 voice music synthesizer on one card. Just plug it into your 
Apple, connect the audio cable (supplied) to your stereo, boot the 
disk supplied and you are ready to input and play songs. 

It's easy to program music with our compose software. You will start 
right away at inputting your favorite songs. The Hi-Res screen shows 
what you have entered in standard sheet music format. 

Now with new improved software for the easiest and fastest music 
input system available anywhere. 

We give you lots of software. In addition to Compose and Play 
programs, 2 disks are filled with over 30 songs ready to play. 

Easy to program in Basic to generate complex sound effects. Now your 
games can have explosions, phaser zaps, train whistles, death cries. 
You name it, this card can do it. 

Four white noise generators which are great for sound effects. 

Plays music in true stereo as well as true discrete quadraphonic. 

Full control of attack, volume, decay, sustain and release. 

Will play songs written for ALF synthesizer (ALF software will not take 
advantage of all the features of this board. Their software sounds the 
same in our synthesizer.) 

Automatic shutoff on power-up or if reset is pushed. 

Many many more features. PRICE $159.00 



TOTALLY compatible with ALL CP/M software. 

The only Z-80 card with a special 2K "CP/M detector" chip. 
Fully compatible with microsoft disks (no pre-boot required). 

All new 1983 design incorporates the latest in I.C. technologies. 


PLUS! 

• Red"CP/M WORKING" LED indicator, the Z-80 Plus does not interfere 
with non-CP/M programs. 

• An on-card PROM eliminates many I.C.'s for a cooler, less power 
consuming board. (We use the Z-80A at a fast 4MHZ) 

• Does EVERYTHING the other Z-80 boards do, plus Z-80 interrupts. 
Don't confuse the Z-80 Plus with crude copies of the microsoft card. The 
Z-80 Plus employs a much more sophisticated and reliable design. With 
the Z-80 Plus you can access the largest body of software in existence. 
Two computers in one and the advantages of both, all at an unbelievably 
low price. 

PRICE $139.00 


Viewmaster 80 


There used to be about a dozen 80 column cards for the Apple, 
now there's only ONE. 

• TOTALLY Videx Compatible 

• 80 characters by 24 lines, with a sharp 7x9 dot matrix 

• On-board 40/80 soft video switch with manual 40 column override 

• Fully compatible with ALL Apple languages and software — there are 
NO exceptions 

• Low power consumption through the use of CMOS devices 

• All connections on the card are made with standard video connectors, 
no cables are soldered to the board 

• All new 1983 design (using a new Microprocessor based C.R.T. 
controller) 






JUST COMPARE! 





PRICE 

BUILT-IN 

SOFTSWITCH 

SHUT KfY PASCAL 

SUPPORT COMPATIBLE 

7X9 DOT 
MATRIX 

LIC.HJ PIN 
INPUTS 

40 COLUMN 
OVERRIDE 

INVERSE 

CHARACTERS 

VIEWMASTER 

169 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

SUP'RTERM 

375 

NO 

YES 

NO 

NO 

NO 

YES 

YES 

WIZARD80 

245 

NO 

NO 

YES 

YES 

NO 

YES 

YES 

VISION80 

375 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

NO 

NO 

NO 

OMNIVISION 

295 

NO 

YES 

NO 

NO 

NO 

YES 

YES 

VIEWMAX80 

219 

YES 

YES 

YES 

YES 

NO 

NO 

YES 

SMARTERM 

360 

YES 

YES 

YES 

NO 

NO 

YES 

NO 

VIDEOTERM 

345 

NO 

NO 

NO 

YES 

YES 

NO 

YES 


The VIEWMASTER 80 works with all 80 column applications including CP/M, Pascal, 
WordStar, Format II, Easywriter, Apple Writer II, Viscalc, and many others. The 
VIEWMASTER 80 is THE MOST compatible 80 column card you can buy at ANY price! 

PRICE $169.00 


MemoryMaster lie 

• Expands your Apple lie to 192K memory 

• Provides an 80 column text display 

• Compatible with all Apple lie 80 column and extended 80 column 
card software (Same physical size as Apple's 64 K card) 

• Available in 64K and 128K configurations 

• Bank select LED's for each 64K bank 

• Permits your lie to use the new double high resolution graphics 

• Automatically expands Visicalc to 95 K storage in 80 columns! The 64 K 
configuration is all that's needed, 128K can take you even higher. 


128K RAM Card 

• Complete documentation included, we show you howto use all 128K. 
IfyoualreadyhaveApple's64Kcard,justorder the MEMORYMASTER with 
64 K and use the 64 K from your old board to give you a fulll 28K. (The board 
is fully socketed so you simply plug in more chips.) 

MemoryMaster with 128 K $249 

Upgradeable MemoryMaster with 64K $169 

Non-Upgradeable MemoryMaster with 64K $149 


Our boards are far superior to most of the consumer electronics made today. All I.C.'s are in high quality sockets with mil-spec, components used throughout P.C. boards are 
glass-epoxy with gold contacts. Made in America to be the best in the world. All products work in APPLE lie, II, 11+ and Franklin (except MemoryMaster). 

Applied Engineering also manufactures a full line of data acquisition and control products for the Apple; A/D converters and digital 1/0 cards, etc. Please call for more 
information. All our products are fully tested with complete documentation and available for immediate delivery. All products are guaranteed with a no hassle 

THREE YEAR WARRANTY. 


All Orders Shipped Same Day. Texas Residents Add 5% Sales 
Tax. Add $10.00 If Outside U.S.A. Dealer Inquiries Welcome. 


Send Check or Money Order to: 

APPLIED ENGINEERING 
P.O. Box 470301 
Dallas, TX 75247 


Call (214) 492-2027 

7a.m. to 11 p.m. 7 days a week 
MasterCard, Visa & C.O.D. Welcome 


CIRCLE 175 ON READER SERVICE CARD 














































RESCUE SQUAD/BY LINDSAY McGRATH 

Questions about radio interference, 
using TVs as monitors, 
and controlling a printer are 
answered by the Rescue Squad. 



HihIIiik ihc Kucts 

< > l have just purchased an Apple II + 

• • uiipiilci Who can I go to with my 
in my hardware and software questions? 
Apple’s manuals are very good, but 
don’t contain all the information I 
need. 

A: Your Apple dealer can help with any 
(/nrstions you might have. There is also a 
user support line you can call for an 
answer directly from Apple. The tele- 
plume number is (408) 745-6731. 
<'/unices are your call will be recorded 
bv an answering machine. Apple should 
provide you with an answer within 2 
working days. 

U iiiiiing Interference 
(): 1 have owned an Apple II since 1978. 
Recently., I tried to use it with a short- 
w .ive radio receiver to decode radio-tele¬ 
type transmissions. However, the com¬ 
puter created so much interference that I 

< ouldn’t pick up any stations. 

My system has 64K RAM, two disk 
drives, two monitors, and I don’t use a 
ideo RF monitor. Can you tell me how 
to reduce the level of RF radiation from 


my Apple? 

A: An Electromagnetic Interference 
(EMI) Suppression kit may be just the 
thing to reduce interference from your 
older Apple. The kit consists of a 
shielded housing and lid, a shielded disk 
interface cable with the necessary instal¬ 
lation hardware, and instructions. The 

^ Can you tell 
me how to reduce 
the level of RF 
radiation from 
my Apple? 

kit may be obtained from your Apple 
dealer for a suggested retail price of 
$100 without installation. You ll need an 
additional shielded cable for your other 
drive. 

Printing Problems 

Q: I need some advice on how to imple¬ 
ment all the wonderful features of the 
Applewriter III software I just received 


as a gift. My problem is, how can I get 
my NEC PC-8023A-C dot matrix printer 
to change font, type size, etc. through 
the Applewriter 1111 

A: Sending instructions to your printer 
with Applewriter III is done through the 
Control-V command. To use this com¬ 
mand, you need to know the instruction 
the printer is expecting. Let's say that an 
Escape-U made the printer print in bold 
face and Escape-D makes the printer 
print normally. 

If you were typing the words “little 
red hen * and wanted to have the word 
“red" in boldface, you would type the 
following: little [Control-V, the Escape 
Key, the U key, then Control-V] red 
[Control-V, the Escape key, the D key, 
then Control-V] hen. 

Monitoring Your Apple 
Q: Why can’t I use a television as a mon¬ 
itor for my Apple II + ? I’ve tried several 
different brands, and none performed 
well—text drifted or was completely 
unreadable! I finally broke down and 
bought a color monitor. 

I have not found much information 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^31 





























































PROFESSIONAL, MOLDED 

PROTECTIVE 

CASE 

• Dual Wall Construction. 1" Protective 
Spacing Between Inner and Outer Wall. 

• Molded Cavity on Left for Apple II Plus or 
E and Two Cavities on Right for Apple 
Drives. Prevents Component Shifting. 

• High Quality Foam Padding. 

• Constructed of High-Quality Polyethylene. 
Rugged and Durable, Yet Lightweight. 

FREE 

With Each Case Ordered: 
A-41 Dust Cover 



Protect Yourself From Lost Time, 
Data, and Money Associated With 
Accidents and Contaminants. 


DUST COVERS 

Antistatic, High Quality, 

Heavy Gauge Clear Vinyl 

(A-41) Covers Apple II with Apple 
Monitor and One Disk Drive 
(Set of 2 Covers) .$19.90 

(A-42) Two Disk Drives, 

Stacked (1 Cover).$10.90 

(A-43) One Disk Drive.$9.90 

Printers: Advise type 

and/or dimensions.$10.90 

All products in stock. Prices Include 
Freight. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Return 
within 30 days for full refund. 


MasterCard and Visa call: 

Toll Free 1-800-531-3122, 
Operator 27 

In Washington State 

1-800-227-7800, Operator 27 

Send check, money order or credit 
card number and expiration date to: 
P.C.A. 

16625 Redmond Way, Suite 107 
Redmond, Washington 98052 
Phone (206) 882-0385 

Washington State residents please add 7.8% sales tax 


DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME 

Prices May Increase Without Notice 

CIRCLE 120 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


available regarding the compatibility of 
Apples and TVs. Can you tell me what 
went wrong? 

A : The problem you encountered is that 
some TVs with digital tuning will not 
work with Apple computers. Unfortu¬ 
nately, there is not a list of specific 
brands that are incompatible. 

Apple doesn't have any control over 
how companies manufacture the televi¬ 
sion sets, so it markets its own monitor to 
ensure compatibility and performance. 
Junk Letters 

Q: I am having trouble using my Apple 
II for word processing. Whenever I print 
out a file, the printer begins by typing 
several unwanted “junk” letters that are 
not in my text file. 

My system is comprised of an Apple 
II with an Apple parallel card, a NEC 
3530 Spinwriter, and the Screenwriter II 
word processing program. I’ve tried all 
the printer parameters and driver rou¬ 
tines in the Screenwriter II program. I 
checked the parallel card and my printer 
tests out perfectly. 

A: Flush out the print buffer before start¬ 
ing any printout. The printer manual 
should have information on the proce¬ 
dure. If that doesn't solve the problem, 
write to the printer manufacturer, and 
ask for additional information on the 
printer's operation. 

Hot RAMS 

Q: Recently, I added an Apple language 
card, a disk drive without controller, and 
DOS 3.3 upgrade kit to a system that 
already includes an Apple II, a disk drive 
with DOS 3.2 controller, and a C. Itoh 
Starwriter daisywheel printer with Cen¬ 
tronics parallel interface. Adding the 
new equipment created a problem. 

The 16-sector Applewriter printer 
program doesn’t work consistently on 
hot days. After storing print constants, 
the system crashes and will only respond 
to a reset command. Other programs, 
including my \3-scctor Applewriter pro¬ 
gram, drive the printer with no prob¬ 
lem. 

Maybe the installation of the hard¬ 
ware was faulty. Or would a fan help? 
A: It sounds like you might have an unre¬ 
liable RAM chip. A fan might help cool 
things off, but it would be best to locate 
the.bad chip, if there is one. A continu¬ 
ous RAM test by your dealer should pin¬ 
point the problem. 

Differences in I/Os 
Q: I’ve created a light pen for the Apple 
II and am seriously thinking of buying an 
Apple III. Can you tell me the difference 
between the game I/Os on the two 
machines? Also, is there any difference 
between the Apple II and the Apple III in 


its emulator modes? 

A: There are some differences between 
an Apple II and Apple II Emulation on 
the Apple III. The major difference is 
that you can't use Pascal or any Pascal- 
based language (Fortran, Pilot) or pro¬ 
gram while in Emulation. Apple Logo 
will not run in Emulation. The reason is 
that you have only 48K of user RAM in 
Emulation mode. 

Another difference is that Game HO 
does not act the same. The Apple III has 
two paddle ports, A and B. Port A has 
paddles 0 and 2, while port B has pad¬ 
dles 1 and 3. This can make it tough to 
play some games written for the Apple 
II. 

Listing Binary Files 

Q: How can I list a binary file on the 
Apple II + ? Should IBLOAD the file at a 
certain memory location and list it? Or 
do I need to know the memory location 
where the program starts? I do not know 
the starting memory address. 

A: It is necessary to know the starting 
address in order to list a binary file from 
the memory of an Apple II + . The infor¬ 
mation for a binary file on disk is saved 
with two items of information: first the 
starting address of the file in hex and 
then the length of the file in hex. This is 
how the system knows where to put the 
information when the file is loaded. 

If the binary file is for a high resolu¬ 
tion picture, there are only two possible 
memory locations it can be loaded in. 
The first is the location of high resolution 
page I or (HGR), with starting hex loca¬ 
tion A$2000 and a length of hex L$2000. 
The second is high resolution page 2 or 
(HGR2), with starting hex location 
A$4000. 

If the file is an assembly language 
program, there is no set place where it is 
loaded. The program is placed into 
memory from where it was saved. And, 
unless the starting address and length 
were saved as part of the name of the 
file, there is no way to find this out from 
the disk catalog. There are, however, 
some aftermarket disks that will list disk 
files and their locations. One of these is 
Recover 4.0, published by Computer 
House Division, 1407 Clinton Rd., Jack- 
son, Ml 44202, (517) 782-2132. 


We would like to thank the technical sup¬ 
port people at Apple Computer for their 
assistance in answering these questions. 
We are establishing this monthly column 
to help you solve problems you may have 
in using any Apple computer and related 
products. Please send your questions to 
Rescue Squad, A + , 654 Bair Island Rd., 
Redwood City, CA 94063. 


324 A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 





























Do You Run Your Business 
or Does It Run You? 


I lie hipest headache you may be facing 

II m m* days is getting better control of 
voiir business. Tracking unpaid bills, 

M iuling out second billings, monitoring 
which salesman sold how much and to 
whom, keeping track of inventories, 
and on and on. 

There's a remedy. It’s 
called VersaForm...the 
business database. 

Versa Form is a powerful 
dalabase designed 
specifically for busi¬ 
ness, but based on the 
simplicity and 
< mivcnienceofyour 
larniliar business 
forms. 

II you can fill out 
a liaiHincftS form, 
you can create 
n dalabase. 

Vets.iForm sfarts with 
ynut existing forms 
ntd pine edures. As 
\ mu 1 1 >py yum forms 
mmIm Mm m reen, Versa- 
I nun dulomatically 
i le.iles ,i database for you. It records and 
saves information from Purchase Orders, 
Invoices, Job Estimates, Disbursement 
I .eilgers...maybe even a few things 
you’re not recording that you should be. 

VersaForm is an electronic file cabinet 
that will store all this information,yet 
have it at your fingertips when you need 
ill It’s designed with a non-technical 
user in mind, so you can concentrate on 
streamlining your business with none 
of the usual database headaches. 

Adapts to your business.. .your way. 

With VersaForm you don’t have to 
completely re-orient your staff. It fits 
right into the way you’re doing business 
now. Only now your operations will be 
completed more efficiently and with 
electronic speed. 

• A doctor in Moulton, Texas, posts 
his patient billing and completes his 
medical insurance forms with 
VersaForm. 

• A small college in Wheaton, Mary¬ 
land, uses VersaForm to create tuition 
invoices, class lists, accounts 


receivable, and accounts payable. 

' A computer supplies company in 
Mountain View, California, writes 
payables checks and does expense 
distribution with 
VersaForm. 



' A roofing company in Green Bay, 
Wisconsin, computes job estimates, 
contracts, invoicing, and tracks actual 
costs with VersaForm. 

■ A manufacturer in Beaver Falls, 
Pennsylvania, uses VersaForm to build 
his company's parts records, and 
generates “where-used”lists. 


VersaForm 


VersaForm has the power to do these 
jobs and more because it’s designed 
especially for business. It can also 
calculate taxes and prices, and can 
look up discounts, so you don’t 
have to. VersaForm will even 
print on your own pre-printed 
forms. 

Pull information 
together fast. 

Pulling information 
together from paper 
files can be time- 
consuming and 
frustrating. Why make 
it tough? VersaForm 
puts vital reports like 
sales analyses, over¬ 
due payables, open 
purchase orders, and 
alphabetical employee 
lists at your finger¬ 
tips. Minimum effort, 

^ maximum results. 

All in one 
easy-to-use, 
integrated package. 

VersaForm provides a screen 
formatter, a data entry program, a data¬ 
base, a report generator and a forms 
printer. And you can purchase prede¬ 
signed Templates for standard jobs like 
Purchasing, Invoicing, and Expense 
Journals. VersaForm is the all-in-one 
business productivity tool. Ask for a 
demonstration at your computer dealer. 
Or contact us directly. 


If you want to know more, send in this 
coupon. We’ve got a lot to tell you about. 


Name 


Company 


Address 


City 


State 


Zip 


TVpe of Business 

Mail to: Applied Software Technology 
170 Knowles Drive 
Los Gatos, California 95030 
(408)370-2662 133-d 


For use with the Apple II, lie and III, and the IBM PC and compatibles. 

CIRCLE 121 ON READER SERVICE CARD 















































CIRCLE 122 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


When you’re on-line, time is money. PRO-MODEM 
telecommunication systems help you save. By 
monitoring the duration and cost of your phone 
calls. And by sending and receiving messages, 
unattended, at preset times when the rates are 
lower.. .with or without your computer. 

Compare the $495 PRO-MODEM 1200 with any other 
modem on the market. For example, you’d have to 
buy both the Hayes Smartmodem 1200 plus their 
Chronograph for about $950 to get a modem with 
time base. 


PRO-MODEM 1200 is easy to use. A convenient 
“Help” command displays the Menu of operating 
command choices for quick reference whenever 
there’s a question about what to do next. Extensive 
internal and remote self-diagnostics assure that the 
system is operating properly. Some of the other 
standard features include Auto Answer, Touch 
Tone and Pulse Dialing, and Programmable Intelli¬ 
gent Dialing. 


Time for your computer to make the telephone con¬ 
nection - with an intelligent, full 212A 300/1200 
baud modem - with a real time clock/calendar - 
and with the capability to expand into a com¬ 
plete telecommunications system. It’s time for 
PRO-MODEM 1200. Much more than just a phone 
modem. 


PRO-MODEM does more. It lets you build a full tele¬ 
communications system with features like Auto 
Dialer, Incoming and Outgoing Message Buffering, 
Business/Personal Phone Directory, Program¬ 
mable Operating Instructions, a 12-Character 
Alpha-Numeric Time and Message Display, and 
versatile PRO-COM Software. PRO-MODEM com¬ 
mands are Hayes compatible so you can use most 
existing telecommunications software without 
modification. 


There’s much more to the PRO-MODEM story. See 
your local dealer for complete details. He’ll show 
you how to save time. And money. 


Prometheus Products, Inc., 45277 Fremont Blvd., 
Fremont CA 94538, (415) 490-2370 




°*atg d 






















H i OWARE/BY WINN ROSCH 


PRINTER 

COMPARISONS 


GETTjNGITONFAPER 
WITH AN APPLE 


('/etting your hands on hard data is a lot easier 
when a printer has done its job. Hundreds 
of models will plug directly into the 
Apple. Here's how they work and how their 
mechanical processes differ. 


i*\ h Ii tin \pplc is .mi actor without 

.h . Uihough it can tell tales of 

i* m. .uni delight about the future 
nn mathematics and modeling, it 
i • < I* them a secret, privy to the select 
i. w who can see its monitor screen. Only 
h i iiheimg, a committee and having it 
huddle around the computer, likeapow- 
«»v\ around a campfire, can the Apple 
line its electronic insights with a 
group. 

A printer can change all that. A con- 
i • i vaiice that’s half electronic brain, half 

.hanieal beast, the printer converts 

ih. computer’s electrical impulses to the 
ml marks on paper that human beings 
i- mutely prefer to read. The printer 
. your computer’s hidden secrets and 
makes them available to the rest of the 
WO| Id. 

Printers are not a single kind of 
m.»< hine; as of yet none comes in a big 
lui. box labeled, “Generic hardcopy 
output device.” Rather, they come in 

•.. flavors than ice cream—hundreds, 

po ably thousands of different mod- 
i and they are as different from one 
motliei as plain vanilla is from double- 
in •< ol.iie-mint chip. 


Classifying printers takes more imag¬ 
ination and perseverance than naming a 
new flavor; some printer differences are 
slight and some of the classifications 
merge together. It’s like trying to find 
exactly where the chocolate ends and the 
fudge begins. But printers can be divided 

^The printer 
frees your 
computer’s hidden 
secrets and makes 
them available to 
the rest of the world. 


into several stereotypical, overlapping 
categories based on the mechanical pro¬ 
cess used to get ink on paper (impact 
versus nonimpact printers, with various 
subclasses) and the volume of type 
(character, line, page) printed at a time 
(serial, line, or page printers, respective¬ 
ly). Other distinctions tend to be more 
fanciful or conjectural, such as the 


attempts to give objective classifications 
and names to the subjective appearance 
of the final characters on paper (letter 
quality, correspondence quality, draft 
quality, and data processing quality). 

The best way to find your favorite 
among printers is to try out each and 
every one. However, if your budget does 
not allow that luxury, the next best way 
is by making an informed choice, based 
on an understanding of how all printers 
work and which ones suit a particular 
application best. 

Hitting the Paper 

Probably the most popular type of 
printer is use today is the impact printer. 
Until recently nearly the only kind con¬ 
nected to personal computers, impact 
printers are direct descendents of office 
typewriters and work on exactly the 
same principle. A hammer of some kind 
strikes a ribbon (cotton or nylon) soaked 
in ink and a ribbon (film or Mylar) coat¬ 
ed with ink then strikes the paper. The 
impact of the hammer against the ribbon 
forces ink onto the paper. 

Like any mechanical impact, the 
hammer hitting the ribbon and paper 
makes noise; a sharp staccato rattle that’s 
usually louder than normal conversation 
and obnoxious, at least when compared 
to the hushed whir of nonimpact print¬ 
ers. 

Impact printers are popular because 
they’re relatively cheap to make, 
straightforward to understand, and reas¬ 
suringly familiar. They can print on any¬ 
thing a typewriter can, from plain paper 
to thin cardstock, and the impact is suf¬ 
ficient to make multiple copies at a time 
using carbon paper or carbonless multi¬ 
ple copy forms. 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^35 













A list of nonimpact printers, which 
brings to mind the special effects used in 
a George Lucas movie, includes laser, 
electrosensitive, ion deposition, magnet¬ 
ic imaging, thermal, ink-jet, and photo- 
graphic-based printers. The only gener¬ 
alization that can be made about them is 
that they don’t strike the paper with a 
hammer to make images. The more 
accessible—that is, more affordable— 
nonimpact printers do, however, share 
some common characteristics: relatively 
quiet operation and inability to make car¬ 
bon copies. 

The more common nonimpact print¬ 
ers generate text by altering the surface 
characteristics of a specially treated 
paper either by heat (thermal printers), 
by electricity (electrosensitive), or by 
light (photographic). The more exotic 
nonimpact machines are designed for 
specialized applications: extremely high 
output or extremely high quality, for 
instance. They might be used in the data 
processing department of a major corpo¬ 
ration or a phototypesetting plant. Gen¬ 
erally speaking these printers are expen¬ 
sive. 

Making the Most of the Matrix 

Matrix, or, more commonly, dot¬ 
matrix, printers type the on-paper equiv¬ 
alent of a newspaper halftone photo¬ 
graph. They form printed characters out 
of dots. Each character is broken into a 
collection of dots, each one of which is 
positioned at a specific location in a grid 
array, or matrix, for each character. Like 
the newspaper halftone photographs, the 
printed characters are a little rough at the 
edges, and the on-paper printed quality 
varies with size and number of dots in a 
given area. More dots closer together 
yield a character with more detail and 
greater legibility. Unambiguous upper 
and lowercase characters can be printed 
in arrays as small as five horizontal dots 
by seven vertical dots, but seven dots is 
not enough to make the tails of the 
descending characters (lowercase g, j, p, 
q, and y) dip properly below the charac¬ 
ter line. Most popular inexpensive ma¬ 
trix printers use a 9-by-9 matrix today, 
although larger matrixes are not that 
unusual. 

Though the rough character approxi¬ 
mations of matrix printers are not as aes¬ 
thetically pleasing as normally typed or 
printed characters, the dot-matrix print¬ 
ers have an advantage over other typing 
technologies. Because the dot patterns 
are computer controlled, the typeface or 
type font (what each individual character 
looks like) can be altered by changing 
the software. Characters can be made 
wider or narrower, italicized or bold- 
36 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


face, just by changing the pattern coded 
into the printer’s memory. Many newer 
matrix printers even allow the user to 
develop his own character fonts or other 
symbols and load them from his comput¬ 
er into the printer’s memory. The matrix 
printer can type such downloaded char¬ 
acters as easily as any other lettering. 

The most common matrix printers use 
an impact print mechanism, in which 
each dot is formed by a single tiny ham¬ 
mer, actually a wire, striking a ribbon to 
transfer ink onto the paper. Typically, a 
seemingly complex, but efficient mech¬ 
anism controls the wire. While a spring 
constantly pushes the print wire toward 
the paper, most of the time the wire is 
held back by a strong permanent magnet. 
When a command from the host comput¬ 
er indicates that the wire should make a 
dot on the paper, an electromagnet is 
energized to generate a field that neutral¬ 
izes the permanent magnetic restraining 
effect on the print wire. Released from 
magnetic restraint, the print wire is 
pulled by the spring’s force to strike the 
paper. 

A printhead consists of a number of 

jl Impact printers are 
popular because 
they’re relatively 
cheap to make, 
straightforward to 
understand, and 
reassuringly familiar. 

these wires and their associated mecha¬ 
nisms. In a typical low-speed or serial 
matrix printer (speeds measured in up to 
hundreds of characters per second), sev¬ 
en or nine wires (or more, depending on 
the vertical height of the matrix) are 
arranged in a vertical column in the 
printhead. The printhead moves horizon¬ 
tally across the paper, and each wire fires 
as necessary to form the individual char¬ 
acters one nine-dot column at a time. For 
better image quality and more dots per 
inch, some machines send their print- 
heads past the same typed line more than 
once, filling in the tiny blanks between 
dots and making the printed characters 
look closer to letter-perfect. 

One of the primary factors that deter¬ 
mines how fast any impact matrix printer 
can create characters on paper is the time 
between successive strikes of the print 
wire. Physical laws of motion limit the 
acceleration of the wire and hence the 
speed at which it can move. Therefore, 


barring the repeal of the laws of Nature, 
a great speed increase is impossible. One 
way around this speed limit is by com¬ 
bining more print wires and by shorten¬ 
ing the sweep of the printhead for each 
line. More wires firing within the same 
period means more characters can be 
formed. 

High speed matrix line printers (with 
speeds of hundreds of lines per minute) 
typically use a horizontal row of 132 
print wires that stretches across the entire 
width of a sheet of paper. For each full 
line of characters, the printhead moves 
only five or so dots (or increments) over, 
then the paper is advanced one full line, 
and the printhead starts typing the next 
line of text. 

Matrix characters can also be formed 
without impact using ink-jet, thermal, 
laser, and related principles. 

Although the first ink-jet printers 
were expensive, high-speed line printers 
that sprayed tiny drops of ink onto paper 
from a long horizontal row of nozzles, 
the latest serial ink-jet printers use a 
small, moving printhead and rival the 
serial impact matrix printers in both 
speed and cost. The individual jets of ink 
can be carefully controlled for high- 
quality printouts; however, the simpler 
mechanisms used in low-priced ink-jet 
printers create text that can only be 
classed as data processing quality. 

Electrosensitive and thermal printers 
create matrix images by using special 
printheads with multiple styli arranged 
like the printwires of impact matrix 
printers. The styli physically contact a 
special paper treated to change color 
(usually darken) in response to the elec¬ 
trical or heat changes in the styli. 
Although inherently quiet, reasonably 
fast, and relatively inexpensive, these 
printers have not yet won wide favor 
because they require special, hard-to- 
obtain paper. In business applications 
the need for treated paper is a particular 
handicap because it precludes the use of 
preprinted forms and letterheads. 

Pages per Minute 

Luke Sky walker’s laser technology 
has been adapted to high-speed printers. 
A laser beam is used in such machines to 
trace characters on a drum coated with 
light-sensitive selenium. The exposed 
areas of the drum can be electrostatically 
charged to attract pigment. When paper 
is wrapped around the drum, the pigment 
can be thermally bonded to it. The oper L 
ating principle is exactly the same as a 
Xerox photocopying machine—and, as 
you might expect, the resulting hard 
copy looks just like it came from a Xerox 
machine. 





















COMMUNICATIONS 
PACKAGES FOR 
IBM PC AND APPLE 

THE WORLD 
JUST KEEPS 
GETTING SMALLER 



AND SIMPLER 

Electronic communications will change the way you 
see your world. 

It has already changed the way you'll see SSM. Be¬ 
cause the leading innovator in electronic communications— 


SSfil 

SSM Microcomputer Products. Inc 

is now 

TRANSEND 

Transend stands for innovative electronic commu¬ 
nications for your personal computer. Quickly. Easily. 
Affordably. Transend. At computer retailers nationwide. 

Apple is a registered trademark, of Apple Computer. Inc IBM PC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 
1 c 1983 Transend Corporation 


CIRCLE 123 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Laser printers resemble Xerox copi¬ 
ers, too, in size and cost—table-sized 
rather than table-top, with prices in the 
tens of thousands of dollars range. But 
just as photocopiers have been shrinking 
both in size and price, so have the latest 
laser printers. (One was announced last 
year with a $4,500 tag.) 

Laser printers’ photostatic process 
permits the use of nearly any paper (be¬ 
sides wax paper), including stationery 
and preprinted business forms. Legibili¬ 
ty and print quality is high (although the 
characters are not fully formed, the 
matrix density is very high), and 
throughput is astounding—measured in 
pages per minute, rather than character 
per second or line per minute. Current 
machines average from 20 through 43 
pages per minute. Laser printers cannot 
make carbons, but they’re so fast it may 
not matter! 

Ion-deposition printers work on a 
similar principle but substitute a stream 
of ions (electrically charged atoms or 
molecules) for laser beams. Though a 
fledgling technology, ions have a sub¬ 
stantial advantage over lasers. They can 
be directed and modulated into the prop¬ 
er on-paper patterns using magnetic or 
electrostatic fields. Shifting a laser beam 
requires optics. Potentially, ion-deposi¬ 
tion printers can be simpler (hence, less 
expensive) than laser machines. 


The Electronic Linotype 

Fully formed character printers make 
letters the old-fashioned way. Like old 
newspaper linotypes that cast the finest 
detail of every character by pouring lead 
into a negative mold, fully formed char¬ 
acters use a form of mold to create 
images with the finest detail. Each char¬ 
acter is formed in one step from a nega¬ 
tive single image, which can serve as a 
model for a nearly unlimited number of 
exact copies of the character. 

Impact fully formed characters carry 
on the proud heritage of their typewriter 
forefathers. A raised, fully formed neg¬ 
ative image of the final character is 
struck against a ribbon, which then 
transfers that exact image to the paper. 
Each character to be printed must be 
moved in sequence in front of a hammer, 
which will strike it against the ribbon. 

Various schemes have been devised 
to move the characters into position. Ball 
mechanism printers are just refugee ball- 
mechanism typewriters. The character 
molds are arranged on the surface of a 
sphere or ball, which is shifted into the 
proper orientation so that a specific spot 
on its surface can strike the ribbon. 
Because the ball of type makes more 
gyrations than a disco dancer, most ball 
printers are relatively slow, below about 
12 characters per second. 

So-called “daisy-wheel” printers ar¬ 


___SEVENE^C_ 

APPLPCOMWBLEPraNTE^ 


Seven contenders slug it out for the title,"Best Of The 
Budget Matrix Printers." We'll let you be the referee. 


Unless your eyes are sensitive only to the 
color green (or whatever the hue of your 
monitor) the question of adding a printer 
to your Apple system is usually fore¬ 
gone. Today a printer is not so much an 
accessory as a necessity—for listing 
programs, unfurling spreadsheets, and 
materializing both memos and manu¬ 
scripts. 

The big question that arises after 
deciding to buy a printer—Which print¬ 
er is best for you?—is not so easily 
answered. The variety of available Ap¬ 
ple-compatible printers is, at best, 
bewildering and, more likely, mind bog¬ 
gling. Permutations of makers’ names 
and model numbers mixed with the best 
of the buzz words—ink-jets, daisy- 
wheels, dot-matrixes, laser, and thermal 
are just the beginning—bring the total 
number up to the multiple hundreds. 

38 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


The first step in narrowing your 
search is to decide exactly what your pri¬ 
mary purpose is and match prospective 
machines to that purpose. For instance, 

^ Unless you’re allergic 
to ink, the style of 
ribbon should not be 
a major factor in 
choosing a printer. 

if you want your printer to impress your 
neolithic friends, you can probably find 
a printer that’s gold plated or blows 
smoke rings. If you want absolutely the 
most versatile machine available, don’t 
be satisfied with anything less than one 
with a built-in bowling ball polisher and 


range their negative character images on 
the tips of petallike hubs of a wheel and 
rotate the appropriate character in front 
of the print hammer. Bend the petals of 
the daisy upward, and the result is a 
“thimble.” This arrangement greatly 
simplifies the positioning process. And 
because the spinning wheels never need 
to change direction, they can be sped 
up. 

To avoid smearing the images they 
make, however, every part of the print¬ 
ing mechanism must come to a halt 
before the hammer strikes—this means 
the daisy wheel must stop spinning, and 
the carriage mechanism must settle 
down before anything gets on the paper; 
then it must speed up again to get to the 
next character. Although fully formed 
character printers need make only one 
stroke to equal the dozen or so wire dots 
of matrix printers, their ultimate speed 
capabilities are lower, ranging from 12 
to 55 characters per second. 

For higher print speeds combined 
with high print quality, fully formed 
characters can be rearranged in another 
manner, embossed onto a continuous 
band that’s driven between pulleys at 
very rapid rate, to create a “band print¬ 
er.” Another variation on the theme is 
the “chain printer,” which has imprint¬ 
ing characters embossed on slugs linked 
together into a continuous chain. 


compost compiler. However, if by some 
chance, your goal—getting words and 
data down on paper as simply and cheap¬ 
ly as possible—coincides with that of 
most personal computerists, you’ll find a 
number of candidates worthy of your 
choice. Among the possibilities you’ll 
discover the seven matrix printers dis¬ 
cussed here: the Apple Dot Matrix print¬ 
er, Epson RX-80, Gorilla Banana, C. 
Itoh Pro Writer II, Mannesmann-Tally 
Spirit-80, Star-Micronics Gemini-10X, 
and the STX-80. 

These seven samurai (all hail from the 
Land of the Rising Sun) fit into the cou- 
ple-of-hundred-dollar price range, typi¬ 
cally near the bottom of their makers’ 
printer price lists. All have one primary 
purpose: to get you printing for the low¬ 
est price and the minimum fuss and both¬ 
er. All are matrix machines and handle 
normal 9 1 / 2 -inch wide continuous-form 
computer paper and plug directly into the 
Apple’s accessory parallel interface. But 
as much as they are alike, they are also 
different; each is built with a varying 
degree of quality, range of speed, and 
array of special features. 

Perhaps the only way to know which 
of them best matches your needs is to try 
































UCCE 








i hr keys to success. 

Whether you have a small re- 
i ill i nnipany, manage a service 
•i'oik y or run a cattle ranch, you 
h w lu do something else well 
i' 1 1 mi Id a business —manage 
money. 

You've got to analyze cash 

I low, see trends and forecast 
profitability in a time and cost 
■ il. i live manner. 

i hr right fit. 

A computerized account¬ 
ing cystem makes sense, 

Hill linding the right soft- 
w.iie Is important. The 
home checkbook" pro- 
ri.mis are easy to use but 

I I icy don’t have the ad 
meed reporting capabilities you need. And many 
m.ill businesses just don’t need the complexity or 

Hid i!•,| of the modular systems. 

i in I leal Accountant™ is a single entry, small busi- 
i" in. I- * uunling program that comes complete in one 
ri. I i|'r. M's Iriendly enough to balance your check- 

i i ,m | sophisticated enough to give you the kind of 

..icy management information you need fora suc- 

ii .lul business. 

\\i( ould have called it 
\ (< ounting Made Easy. ” 

I 'metical Accountant is designed around funda- 

.nlal accounting procedures. Even if you don’t 

know much about accounting it is an ideal program. 

I he manual explains basic accounting terminology 
mil provides a comprehensive tutorial. It wilI take you 
.u p by-step through the process of setting up a com- 
i detc, single entry accounting system you can begin 
uMiig right away. 


It’s quick to learn and 
convenient to use. 

The program guides you with 
easy-to-use menus and provides 
on the screen prompting. Practi¬ 
cal Accountant even does some 
of your work for you like organiz¬ 
ing entries in date order—even 
if you don’t. 

It’s very flexible. 

You set it up to 
fit your business. 

Practical Accountant allows 
you to set up your “Chart of Ac¬ 
counts” (income and expense 
categories) with up to 50 cate¬ 
gories, 300 sub-categories and 
with 20 tax type definitions—all 
defined by you. The manual shows you howto set up 
an accounting system fora small business, complete 
with samples. 

Cash Flow Reporting — 
money management information. 

Perhaps the most valuable feature of the program is 
the cash flow reporting capability. You can look at 
cash flow by category, by sub-category and by tax type 
to analyze profitability, tax consequences and general 
performance. All of your reports are professionally 
formatted and you have access to profitability infor¬ 
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There is more to this success story. 

If you would like to know more about Practical Ac¬ 
countant your dealer can give you a great demonstra¬ 
tion and a brochure with a more complete story, or 
call Softlink TOLL FREE at 800 633-6300 (in CA 
800 222-1244) and we will send you the brochure. 



Practical Accountant 

Single entry, small business accounting for the Apple lie, IBM PC and compatibles. 

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suggested retail □SOFTLINK 


Hi < I l 124 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


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Practical Accountant is a trademark of Softlink Corporation 
Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 




















out all of them. But that kind of selection 
process is expensive if you can’t beg, 
borrow, or abscond with the whole 
array. So, here is an alternative: We’ve 
done the trying for you (including pok¬ 
ing a hole in some ballooning print speed 
figures), and we’ll share our thoughts 
and the features of each machine so you 
can match our findings to your needs. 

This report is not without its limita¬ 
tions. To be honest, the number of 
matrix printers vying to be the best for 
your minimal budget is a bit larger than 
seven. In fact, over 100 printer models 
are available for less than $1000! Never- 

^ We used the same 
r strangely skewed 
selection criteria that 
the typical first-time 
printer buyer might 
rely on. 


theless, our selection of machines is rep¬ 
resentative of features you might expect 
from low-priced printers. We had to lim¬ 
it the number of printers in this review 
for practical reasons. 

We used a highly scientific method to 
narrow the field: arbitrary choice. Our 
selection is a mixture of things we’ve 
heard a lot about, the cheapest printers 
we could find, new machines that 
intrigued us, and the official minimal 
model from our favorite computer man¬ 
ufacturer. In short, we used the same 
strangely skewed selection criteria that 
the typical first-time printer buyer might 
rely on. 

Examining our Examination 

Reading our reports you may believe 
that our procedure was simple: We put 
all the printers in a room and let loose a 
trained chimpanzee to see if he could get 
them running, or as an alternative, see if 
he could destroy them. Close. We set our 
hardware reviewer free in a room con¬ 
taining all the printers and would not let 
him out until he had them all running. To 
simulate a typical office environment, 
we used a typical office. To simulate the 
normal response of other people sharing 
a room filled with chattering printers, we 
loaded the room with editors. 

Not content with manufacturer’s print 
speed ratings, we tested “throughput,” 
or how fast the characters were actually 
formed on paper. We connected an 
Apple He individually to each printer in 
turn and tested speed with a simple loop 
in Applesoft BASIC (with the news¬ 
man’s favorite teletype phrase, “The 
40 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


quick brown fox jumped over the lazy 
dog’s back. 0123456789,” which con¬ 
tains every letter of the alphabet). The 
throughput rating given on the accompa¬ 
nying chart is for the highest print speed 
we measured for each printer. In every 
case this was the standard 10-pitch type¬ 
face with no enhancements or special 
features. Note that although condensed 
or italic type doesn’t slow down the 
speed by much, emphasized or double¬ 
width characters can cut speed in half. 
Note, too, that even these inexpensive 
machines have advanced speed-enhanc¬ 
ing features like logic-seeking bi-direc¬ 
tional printing (except the Banana, with 
which printing is a one-way job). 

We tested sound level on two axis, 
about one meter away from the printer 
and averaged the readings, using slow 
meter response and “A” weighting. 
Taken individually these readings are 
meaningless, because there is no abso¬ 
lute standard of noisiness—such mea¬ 
surements can vary widely with tech¬ 
nique and test conditions. Taken togeth¬ 
er, however, the figures allow you to 
compare how noisy each printer was in 
relation to the others we tested under 
identical conditions. 

Printer manufacturers use an amazing 
variety of names for the characters their 
printers make: boldface, emphasized, 
double-width, expanded, headline type, 
to name a few. We’ve tried to sort 
through and use common names. Ex¬ 
panded and double-width characters are 
given in the chart by their equivalent 
character pitch (that is, how many of 
each will fit on a linear inch of paper). 
We’ve listed other added printing ef¬ 
fects. If names alone don’t suffice, 
we’ve included examples of the print 
quality (see print samples) for various 
typefaces and graphics from a selection 
of these printers. 

Apple Dot Matrix Printer 

If you don’t want to look at what 
seems like a thousand printers and test 
each one for compatibility, the obvious 
choice is the official Apple Dot Matrix 
Printer. 

Although you might choose it by 
default, it’s a good choice. You get a 
tQp-quality printer with more features 
than most people will ever use, reason¬ 
ably high print speed, and a cabinet with 
a color and name tag that match your 
computer. All you need do is plug it in 
and you’ll be printing without having to 
tangle with DIP switches and make sense 
of escape sequences. 

Of all the printers in this test, the 
Apple offers the widest variety of type 
sizes and styles, seven widths (con¬ 


densed, ultracondensed, pica, elite, ex¬ 
tended (9-pitch), and two that are pro¬ 
portionally spaced). Any of these can be 
underlined, bold-faced, or made into 
headline (double-width) type through the 
appropriate software command. Further¬ 
more, it allows downloadable (design- 
your-own) character sets and provides a 
whopping big 16-by-8 dot matrix to hold 
each of the characters derived from the 
flights of your imagination. Normal 
character sets are formed by the Apple’s 
nine-wire printhead in a 7-by-9 dot 
matrix. The printer can also handle dot- 
addressable graphics with nominal 72- 
by-72 dot-per-inch resolution. (Horizon¬ 
tal dot density can be increased, but little 
detail is gained by doing so.) 

The controls, located in a recessed 
area on the front of the machine, allow 
normal paper handling (pushbuttons 
marked T.O.F. for Top-of-Form and 
L.F. for Line Feed) and selecting the 
machine on-line or off-line (SEL push¬ 
button). LEDs indicate that the power is 
turned on (green LED labeled POWER), 
that the printer is on-line (green LED 
labeled SEL) and if a fault should occur 
(red LED labeled P.E., possibly mean¬ 
ing Paper Error or Problem Erupting). 
The line feeds are rather slow but 
become faster and smoothly continuous 
if the L.F. button is held down for more 
than a second. 

The Apple Dot Matrix Printer uses a 
small ribbon cartridge containing a fab¬ 
ric ribbon. It is not a continuous loop; it 
automatically reverses direction when it 

Printer manufacturers 
use an amazing 
variety of names for 
the characters their 
printers make. 

reaches its end—more like a typewrit¬ 
er’s ribbon than a printer’s. Installing 
and changing the ribbon is a snap. (Al¬ 
though the manual indicates only Apple 
ribbons will fit, C. Itoh ProWriter II rib¬ 
bons proved to be interchangeable.) 

The paper handling abilities of the 
Apple allow use of either continuous- 
form paper from 4 to 10 inches wide or 
friction-fed single sheets: Continuous 
form paper is first fed from the rear of the 
printer through the tractor mechanism, 
then around a rubber platen, and past the 
printhead. The platen knob on the right 
side of the machine permits precision 
paper positioning and even allows you to 
roll the paper backwards. A red plastic 
lever on the right side of the printer 

























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adjusts the head gap for optimum print 
intensity or for multiple copies (original 
and up to three carbons totalling 0.011 


inch). 

The Apple printer we used in our tests 
was borrowed from a Lisa system, so its 


documentation came in a binder to match 
the rest of the Lisa manuals. The setup 
instructions are among the clearest and 





42 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 























































































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Training modules lor WordStar, 

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CIRCLE 126 ON READER SERVICE CARD 













easiest to follow of any we have seen. 
Although the manual warns that the non¬ 
programmer may not want to get 
involved with them, a full list and 
description of all available command 
codes is given (including software-vari¬ 
able line spacing and vertical tabs). Most 
references in the manual, expectably, 
are to the Lisa system. 

While we were testing the Apple Dot 
Matrix Printer and the C. Itoh ProWriter 
II, we were struck by the similarity 
between the two machines. Except for 
color, top plate, and label, they looked 
identical. In fact, we discovered the 
front and back covers were interchange¬ 
able between the two machines. It 
should be no surprise, then, that both 
printers began life in the same factory. 

Appearances can be deceiving. Al¬ 
though two machines may look very 
similar, they can be very different 
inside, particularly because the “identi¬ 
ty” of most printers (that is, how they 
work and how they react to the outside 
world) is determined by software pro¬ 
grams contained in ROM chips. A print¬ 
er can be changed into an entirely differ¬ 
ent machine merely by changing one 
integrated circuit. 

Our tests demonstrated the subtlety of 
the differences. The mechanisms of the 
two machines look identical (at least to 
our eyes), but they don’t work in the 
same way. The ProWriter actually 
dashed ahead of the Apple, with a speed 
about 15 percent higher. (We didn’t 
believe it, either, and checked several 
times—the results were the same.) 

When it comes to sound level, the 
Apple is noticeably quieter than the Pro- 
Writer. In fact, it was the quietest impact 
printer in this test. Note, too, that right 
from the box the Apple printer worked 
perfectly with our lie. The ProWriter 
gave us double line feeds, which 
required DIP switch resetting (easy, 
once you know what you’re doing), and 
the examples in its manual are written in 
Microsoft BASIC and require translation 
to Applesoft. The Apple also has a wider 
variety of character widths available on 
command, but the ProWriter allows 
block graphics. 

Epson RX-80 

The Epson RX-80 is an almost unre¬ 
markable printer that offers both a good 
selection of features and speed in a com¬ 
pact package. A few years ago, it would 
have been an amazing machine, but 
these days and in this review it’s just 
another face in the crowd. Far from a 
condemnation, this assessment illus¬ 
trates the high standard that can be 
expected from today’s inexpensive ma- 
444 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


trix printers. The RX-80 is workmanlike 
rather than wonderful, but it’s both com¬ 
petent and competitive. 

It differs from the others in the group 
tested (except for the Banana) in that it 
has no typewriterlike rubber platen for 
friction feeding paper. Instead, a tractor 
pulls sprocket-fed paper past a fixed 
metal platen, an arrangement used on 
many very-high-speed, expensive ma¬ 
trix machines. Loading paper in can be 
tricky until you get the hang of it; you 
must slide the paper in from the rear of 
the printer until it magically appears in 
front of the printhead, and then pull it up 
and latch it into the tractor mechanism. 
A knob on the right side of the RX-80 
(can we call it a platen knob even though 
it doesn’t roll the platen?) helps in preci¬ 
sion paper positioning, but beware. If 
you fail to line up the perforations in the 
paper perfectly with the top of the print- 
head, it is difficult to move the paper 
backward. (And doing so is not recom¬ 
mended by Epson.) 

^ Of all the printers in 
this test, the Apple 
offers the widest 
variety of type sizes 
and styles. 

Abandon all hopes of stuffing your 
impressive 100-percent rag copperplate- 
engraved personal stationery through the 
RX-80. It is incapable of friction feeding 
either individual sheets or roll paper. 
Nevertheless, if you need to impress, 
preprinted microperforated fanfold sta¬ 
tionery will fill the bill. Or consider the 
RX-80’s brother, the RX-80 F/T, which 
does offer friction feed. 

The fabric ribbon used by the RX-80 
is a continuous loop contained in a large 
cartridge that’s wider than the 10-inch 
paper carriage. A length of ribbon nearly 
the full width of the cartridge is left 
exposed. Using a pencil to push the 
inked fabric past the printhead, the rib¬ 
bon can be properly threaded in seconds, 
without discoloring your fingers. Then 
again, if like me, you try to put the rib¬ 
bon in unaided by such a simple tool, 
you may end up signing your work with 
purple fingerprints as I did. 

There must be some Japanese stan¬ 
dard for the required minimum of matrix 
printer controls. Every machine in this 
sample (except the Banana and STX-80, 
which differ from the norm in other sig¬ 
nificant ways) has the same set of con¬ 
trols and indicators: line feed, form feed, 


and on-line/off-line pushbuttons; and 
LED indicator for power, on-line, ready, 
and fault (all green except for the last, 
which is red). The RX-80 conforms to 
that hypothetical standard perfectly. 

The RX-80 will print in nine different 
type sizes or style combinations, includ¬ 
ing standard Pica characters (10 pitch), 
emphasized Pica (bold), condensed Pica 
(17-pitch characters), enlarged Pica 
(double-width or 5 pitch), emphasized 
enlarged Pica, condensed enlarged Pica 
(8.5 pitch), Elite (12 pitch), enlarged 
Elite (6 pitch), and superscript/subscript 
(roughly half height). Sorry, printing 
condensed or emphasized Elite charac¬ 
ters is impossible, as are emphasized 
condensed enlarged Pica Elite sub¬ 
scripts. Besides the standard 96 printable 
ASCII graphic characters, 32 block 
graphic symbols; 11 international char¬ 
acter sets; and 96 alternate characters are 
safely locked in the RX-80’s memory 
chips. The printer will also handle dot- 
addressable graphics eight wires at a 
time. 

The manual we received with the RX- 
80 left a lot to be desired: Thirty pages 
were omitted, including the specifica¬ 
tions and interfacing information. The 
first call to Epson America brought a 
response that might be described as, 
“Go away and bother your distributor 
instead.” When we finally were able to 
talk to a human being at Epson rather 
than an indoctrinated automaton, we got 
our missing pages. (We bothered so 
many people at Epson that we eventually 
got two copies!) Word is that a new ver¬ 
sion of the manual will soon be avail¬ 
able. Actually the RX-80 manual we did 
receive was not nearly as awful as the 
company implied (it was characterized 
by Epson as “a Japanese manual,” with 
derogatory connotations emphasized). It 
was complete and detailed, perhaps 
overly so. The bulk of it was a descrip¬ 
tion of control codes in alphabetical rath¬ 
er than functional order—basically a 
programmer’s reference guide. 

Getting the RX-80 to work with our 
Apple lie was simply a matter of plug¬ 
ging in a standard Centronics cable. It 
came to life and worked flawlessly with¬ 
out adjustment of the setup and default 
DIP switches. That’s good, because 
accessing the switches requires digging 
into the machine. 

The heading, “Number of Copies,” 
on the comparison chart may be a bit 
misleading. We quoted the number 
straight from the manufacturers’ specifi¬ 
cations. Although most said four, Epson 
said three. However, in giving the max¬ 
imum thickness of paper that the printers 



















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Extra Ribbons.$ 5.95 

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CIRCLE 127 ON READER SERVICE CARD 








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★ComX. 16K RAM Card. 1 Yr. Wty.. for II — S 179 S 39 

Microsoft. 16K RAMCard for II - S 100 S 69 

Saturn Systems.32K RAM Card for II - S 249 $169 

64K RAM Card for II- S 425 $299 

128K RAM Card for II- $ 599 $399 

Silicon Valley. Word Handler S 250 $ 39 

★ List Handler $ 90 $ 35 

Videx. Videoterm. 80 column card for II S 345 S229 

DISK DRIVES for 
APPLE 11+/lie 

★ CENTRAL PT„ Filer. Utility & Apple DOS $ 20 $ 15 

ff&fJI A2.143K Disk Drive S 479 $219 

LmBhSJ A2 Controller Card S 100 $ 79 

MICRO-SC'^A40,160K, Drive $ 449 $ 299 

★A70.286K. Drive $ 599 $ 299 

A40A70 Controller $ 100 $ 79 

Rana Elite1.163K.40TK $ 379 $249 

Elite2.326K.80TK $ 649 $ 399 

Elite 3,652K, 160TK $ 849 $499 

Elite Controller $ 145 $ 84 

■■I * 143K Drive, 1 /2 High $ 379 $259 

fuj Controller Card. $ 89 $ 69 

■■■■■■ # Electronics by ComX 

VIS TA DiskPak VI200,6MB Backup Sys. $1549 $1049 
★VI000 Dual 8", Std. Format $2195 $ 995 


★CCS, Serial Interface7710A $ 150 

★Central Point, Alaska Card (copier, + ore) $ 130 

Eastside,WildCard(copier,+ ore) $ 130 

Kensington, System Saver $ 90 

Key Tronic, KB200 keyboard (II+) $ 298 

★Koala, Graphics Pad $ 125 

Market Microscope $ 700 

Kraft, Joystick (Ap 11/11+) $ 65 

Paddle (Ap 11/11+) $ 50 

M&R,SupRfan(+ore) $ 50 

★ Microsoft, Z80 Softcard (+ or e) $ 345 

Z80 Softcard Plus (+ or e) $ 645 

Softcard Premium Pack (11+) $ 695 

Softcard Premium Pack (lie) $ 495 

Micro Tek, Dumpling 64, Buffer $ 349 

★ Orange Micro, Grappler Plus (e or+) $ 175 

16K Buffer Board for Grappler + $ 175 

Buffered Grappler +, 16K $ 245 

2 Chip Kit for above for 64K $ 28 

Paymar, Lower Case Chip (11+) $ 50 

Practical Peripherals. 

MBP lie 64K Par. (Epson Internal) (+/e) $ 279 
MBS lie 32K Ser. (Epson Internal) (+/e) $ 219 
Microbuffer ll + ,16K,(+ ore) 

Par/Ser (specify) $ 259 $199 

Microbuffer II+,64K,(+ ore) 

Par/Ser (specify) $ 349 $259 

★ PCPI, Appli-Card, 14 features 6Mhz $ 375 $275 

RH Electronics, Super Fan II $ 75 $ 59 

★SaturnSystems,AcceleratorII $ 599 $449 

SSM.A10 II, Serial/Para Interface $ 225 $169 

TG Products, Game Paddles (11 + ) $ 40 $ 29 

Joystick (11+) $ 60 $ 45 

Select-A-Port (II+) $ 60 $ 45 

Trak Ball(ll+) $ 65 $ 44 

Videx, PSIO, Para/Ser Interface $ 229 $169 


$119 
$119 
$179 
$ 19 
$ 39 

$209 

$169 



VIDEO CARDS 

★ ALS,Smartermll(+ ore) 

$ 179 

$139 

ComX, 80 col./64K Adder (lie) 

$ 295 

$145 

Videx, Videoterm 80 col. (+ or e) 

$ 345 

$229 

★ UltraTerm(+ore) 

$ 379 

$279 

Soft Video Switch (11+) 

$ 35 

$ 25 

Enhancer II (11+) 

$ 149 

$ 99 

Function Strip (11+) 

$ 79 

$ 59 

We Have Full Videx Line. 

Call. Up to 35% off. 

Vista, Vision 80 

$ 289 

$199 

MISCELLANEOUS 

ALS.TheCP/M Card V3.0(+ore) 

$ 399 

$299 

Z-Card(+ore) 

$ 169 

$129 

Color II (+ore) 

$ 179 

$139 

ASTAR.RF Modulator, to use TV 

$ 35 

$ 25 


APPLE lie 128K, 80 COLUMN $1,295 

APPLE lie, STARTER SYS. BY APPLE (Sys. A) 

64K and 80 column 
Disk II with controller 
Apple Monitor III 

Monitor Stand $1,650 

APPLE lie STARTER SYSTEM BY 
CONROY-LA POINTE [SYSTEM B] 

128K and 80 column 
1 Micro-Sci Drive with controller 
Filer, Utility and DOS 3.3 Diskette 
Zenith 12" Green Monitor 
RF Modulator (for color TV) 

Game Paddles 

Game w/color graphics and sound 
20 Blank Diskettes $1,650 

WARRANTY: 

Limited warranty is 100% Parts & Labor for 90 days by us. 


RAM EXPANSION 


LIST OUR 
PRICE PRICE 

★ ComX, for lie, 80 col./64K Adder Card $ 295 $109 

★ ComX, RAM Card, 1 Yr. Wty. (11 + ) 16K S 179 $ 39 

★ ALS,ADDRam(ll + ) 16K S 100 $ 59 

★ Microsoft, RAMCard (11 + ) 16K S 100 $ 69 

★ Saturn Systems, RAM Card (II + ) 32K S 249 $169 

RAM Card (11 + ) 64K S 425 $299 

RAM Card (II + )128K S 599 $399 

★ Axlon RAM Disk System (+or e)320K $1000 $650 


' v : V \ • ' V 


SOFTWARE 


BUSINESS 


Applied Soft Tech.. VersaForm S 389 $259 

Artsci. MagicWindow II NEW! $150 $ 99 

Ashton-Tate, dBase II (Req CP'M 80) $ 700 $395 

Financial Planner (ReqCP'M 80) $ 700 $395 

Friday (Requires CP'M 80) $ 295 $199 

BPI Systems, GL, AR. AP, PR or INV, each $ 395 $295 

Broderbund, Bank Street Writer $ 70 $ 47 

Continental, GL,AR,AP or PR ea $ 250 $165 

Home Accountant S 75 S 49 

FCM $ 100 $ 68 

Dow Jones, Market Analyzer $ 350 $275 

Market Manager $ 300 $235 

Fox & Geller, Quickcode (fordBase II) $ 295 $185 

dGraph (fordBase II) $ 295 $185 

dUtility(fordBase II) $ 99 $ 66 

Hayden, Pie Writer (Specify 80col. board) $ 150 $ 99 

Howard Soft, Real Estate Analyzer II $ 195 $129 

Tax Preparer $ 225 $149 

LJK, Letter Perfect w/Mail Merge S 150 $ 99 

★ Micro Craft, (requires Z80 CP/M-Card) 

Verdict or Billkeeper $ 995 $469 

Micro Lab, Tax Manager $ 180 $119 

Micro Pro, (all require Z80-CP/M Card) 

★ WordStar w/Applicard & CP/M SPECIAL S 495 $325 

WordStar 1 - Training Manual SPECIAL S 495 $239 

MailMerge- SPECIAL $ 250 $129 

SpellStar'- SPECIAL $ 250 $129 

★ WordStar Professional,4 Pak SPECIAL S 895 $429 

Microsoft, Multi-Plan (CP/M or Apple DOS) S 275 $199 

Financial, Multitool (CP'M or DOS) $ 100 $ 75 

Budget, Multitool (CP'M or DOS) S 150 $115 

Osborne/C.P. Soft, (Disk and Book) (Stal., Bus. & Math) 
Some Common Basic Programs (75 each) $ 100 $ 49 

Practical Basic Programs (40 each) S 100 $ 49 

Peachtree, Requires CP/M & MBasic, 40 columns. 

Series 40 GL & AR & AP. all 3 S 595 $365 

Series 40 Inv. or Payroll, each S 400 $275 

Series 9 Text & Spell & Mail, all 3 S 595 $395 

Perfect, Perfect Writer S 495 $149 

Perfect Speller S 295 S 99 

Perfect Writer/Speller 2 Pak S 695 $199 

Perfect Filer S 595 $259 

Quark, Word Juggler (lie) S 239 $179 

Lexicheck lie (use W'Juggler) $149 $ 99 

Sensible, Sens. Speller, specify 80 Col. Brd. S 125 $ 85 

Sierra/On-Line, Screenwriter II $130 $ 89 

The Dictionary NEW! S 100 $ 69 

General Manager II NEW! S 230 $155 

★ Silcon Valley, Word Handler S 250 $ 39 

★ List Handler $ 90 S 35 

Sof./Sys., Executive Secretary S 250 $169 

Executive Speller $ 75 $ 55 




on disk for Apple ll/ll + /lie 


BUSINESS 

Software Publishing, PFS: File 


S 125 

$ 84 

(specify ore) PFS: Report 


$ 125 

$ 84 

; PFS: Graph 


S 125 

$ 84 

Stoneware, DB Master Version 4.0 


S 229 

$229 

DB Utility lor II 


S 99 

$ 69 

Videx, Applewriter II preboot disk 


S 20 

$ 15 

Visicalc 80 col. preboot disk 


S 50 

$ 39 

VisiCorp/Personal Software. 




Visicalc 3.3 


S 250 

$169 

Visicalc Enhanced (lie) 

NEW! S 250 

$169 

VisiFile or VisiDex. each 


S 250 

$169 

UTILITY & SYSTEM 

Beagle. Utility City 


S 30 

$ 22 

j DOS Boss 


S 24 

$ 18 

Apple Mechanic 


$ 30 

$ 22 

i Central Point, Filer, DOS 3.3 and Utility 

S 20 

$ 15 

1 ★ Copy II Plus (bit copier) 

S 40 

$ 35 

i Einstein, Compiler, for Applesoft BASIC 

S 129 

$ 85 

Epson, Graphics Dump 


$ 15 

$ 9 

Insoft, GraFORTH by Paul Lutus 


S 75 

$ 59 

Microsoft, A. L.D.S. 


S 125 

$ 75 

Cobol 80 


S 750 

$559 

Fortran 80 


S 195 

$149 

Complete Line in Stock 




★ Omega. Locksmith (bit copier) 


S 100 

$ 75 

Penguin. Comp. Grphcs. Sys. 

NEW! S 70 

$ 53 

Graphics Magician 

NEW' $ 60 

$ 41 

Phoenix. Zoom Grafix 


S 40 

$ 34 

Quality. Bag of Tricks 

NEW! S 40 

$ 29 

Saturn Systems. VC-Expand 


S 100 

$ 49 

VC-Expand 80 


S 125 

$ 69 

Sensible. Back it Up. (bit copier) 


S 60 

$ 49 

HOME & EDUCATIONAL 

Broderbund. Choplifter 


S 35 

$ 26 

BudgeCo. Pinball Constr. Set 


S 40 

$ 27 

★Continental. Home Accountant 


S 75 

$ 49 

Datamost. Aztec or Zaxxon. each 


S 40 

$ 27 

Edu-Ware. (Large Inventory) 


Call 

Call 

Einstein. Memory Trainer 


Call 

Call 

Hayden. Sargon II (Chess) 


S 35 

$ 29 

1 Infocom. Zork 1. II. or III. or Starcross. each 

S 40 

$ 27 

Lightning. Mastertype 


$ 40 

$ 27 

Micro Lab. Miner 2049er 


S 40 

$ 27 

Sierra/On-Line. Ultima II 


S 60 

$ 40 

Sir-Tech. Wizardry 


S 50 

$ 39 

Spinnaker. Kindercomp 


S 30 

$ 20 

Sub Logic. Flight Simulation 


S 34 

$ 25 

Pinball 


S 35 

$ 25 

Terrapin. Logo 


S 150 

$ 99 

■ OTHER BRANDS AND PROGRAMS IN STOCK. CALL. 


DISKETTES 

CDC,100each,SS,DD,48T (Apple, IBM) $ 550 $179 

10each, SS,DD,48T (Apple, IBM) $ 55 $ 19 

100each, DS, DD, 48T. (IBM, H/P) $ 750 $295 

10each, DS, DD, 48T (IBM, H/P) $ 75 $ 35 

DYSAN, 10each, (Apple, etc.) $ 69 $ 39 

10 each, 48T (IBM, H/P, etc.) $ 89 $ 49 

MAXELL, 10each,MD-1,SS,DD $ 55 $ 29 

10each,MD2-D,DS DD $ 75 $ 39 

VERBATIM, 10 each, Verex.SSSD $ 40 $ 21 

10 each, MD525-01, SS SD $ 49 $ 25 

10each,DD34,DS DD $ 84 $ 45 

10 each, Optima, DSDD $ 121 $ 65 

GENERIK™ DISKETTES - AS LOW AS $1 

100 each SS.SD, 35 Track (Apple, Atari) $ 415 $ 130 
1000 each SS, SD, 35 Track (Apple, Atari) $4150 $ 995 
100 each DS.DD, 40 Track (IBM, H/P) $ 626 $ 170 

1000 each DS, DD, 40 Track (IBM, H/P) $6260 $1400 
W/jackets, no labels, top quality. 90 day limited warranty by us. 


NO HASSLE 
MONEY BACK 
GUARANTEE 
ON GENERIK S 




GENERIK™ 

DISKETTES 

SS SD $1.00 Each 
DSDD $1.40 Each 


CDC 

SS SD $1.79 Each 

Minimum order quantities apply. See above. Money 
back guarantee is by COMX Corporation not us. _ 


MONITORS ACCESSORIES 

★AMDEK, 12" Green #300G $ 200 $ 135 

★ \T Amber, #300A $ 210 $ 149 

★ 1 2" Amber. 310A for IBM-PC $ 230 $ 159 

★ 13" Colorl, Composite $ 379 $ 289 

★ 13"Color II. RGB, Hi Res $ 529 $ 439 

★ 13" Color III, RGB. (Ap. II. Ill) $ 479 $399 

DVM, Color II or III to Apple II l/F $ 199 $ 175 

NEC. 12”Green. ModelJB1201M $ 249 $159 

12" Color. Composite, JC1215M $ 400 $ 299 

12" Color, RGB, IBM Model JC1203 $ 699 $569 
PRINCETON, RGB Hi Res. HX-12 $ 795 $539 

★QUADRAM, Quadchrome 12" RGB Color $ 795 $499 
Quadrscreen 17",968x512 $1995 $1595 

SANYO. 9” Green, Model DM5109 $ 200 $ 139 

12" Green, Model DM8112CX $ 260 $ 199 

ZENITH. 12”Green.ModelZVM12l $ 150 $ 89 


MODEMS 


AND 

ACCESSORIES 
ANCHOR, SignalmanMKIModem(RS232) $ 99 $ 75 
HAYES. IBM-PC Smartmodem1200B $ 599 $439 
IBM-PC Smartcom II Software $ 119 $ 89 
Stack Chronograph (RS-232) $ 249 $ 189 

Stack Smarlmodem 300 (RS-232) $ 289 $ 225 
Smartmodem 1200 (RS-232) $ 699 $ 535 

Micromodem 100(S-IOObus) $ 399 $275 
Micromodem II (fortheApplell) $ 379 $ 275 
Apple Terminal Program $ 100 $ 65 

IBM-PC to Modem Cable $ 39 $ 29 

NOVATION, Applecat II Modem,300 BAUD $ 389 $ 269 
212AppleCal. 1200BAUD $ 725 $ 599 
Cat $ 189 $ 139 

D-Cat $ 199 $ 159 

J-Cat $ 149 $ 109 

212 Auto Cat $ 695 $ 579 

Smart Cal 103/212 $ 595 $ 435 

Apple Cat II $ 389 $ 269 

212 Apple Cat $ 725 $ 595 

SSM, Transcend 1 for Apple II Data Comm. $ 89 $ 69 
ModemCardfortheApple II $ 299 $ 259 

Transmodem 1200(110/300/1200) $ 695 $559 


PRINTERS ACCESSORIES 

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS: 

EPSON, MX80F/T 80 CPS. W/Graftrax+ $ 745 $485 
FX80.CPS Call 

MX100FT.80CPS,w/Graftrax + $ 995 $639 
FX100.CPS Call 

Apple II Graphics Dump Program $ 15 $ 9 

Graftrax Plus. MX80orMX100 $ 95 $ 79 

LEADING EDGE, Gorilla Banana $ 250 $ 209 

OKIDATA.82A.80coU20cpS.Para $ 549 $ 448 

83A, 132col.. I20cps,Para $ 899 $699 
92 160 CPS, 80 Col. Para. $ 699 $559 
93,160CPS. 136 Col. Para. $1249 $969 

ORANGE MICRO, Grappler +, for Apple $165 $119 
PRAC., Microbuffer In-Line 64K, Para. $ 349 $ 259 

Microbuffer In-Line 64K Senai $ 349 $ 259 

★ STAR MICRO.. Gemini 10”X.120cps, 2.3K $ 499 $ 289 
Gemini 15". lOOcps. 2.3K $ 649 $389 
Gemini 15”X,100cps,2.3K Call Call 
IBM-PC to Epson or Star Micromcs Cable $ 60 $ 35 

Apple l/F and Cable for Epson or Gemini $ 95 $ 59 

LETTER QUALITY - DAISY WHEEL PRINTERS: 
JUKI, 6100.17cps.80Col„Parallel $ 700 $ 539 
NEC. 3550 IBM Parallel, 33 cps, 136 Col. $2350 $1995 
★TTX, 13cps. Para. & Ser, Pin & Friction $ 649 $499 

SUPPLIES: Tractor Feed Paper, Ribbons, Daisy Wheels 


PLOTTERS 


ENTER COMPUTER. Sweet-P $ 795 $ 595 

AMDEK, DXY-I00.l0”x14".Para $ 749 $599 

_Amplot II. 10" x 146 color. S/P $1299 $999 

rORVf IQ 6 Meg $2395 $1895 

V-VyiY V VJO ii Meg $3195 $2695 

Without Interface 20 Meg $4195 $3495 

IBM-PC Interlace Manual & Cable Kit $ 300 $ 239 

Mirror built in for easy backup $ 790 $ 595 

Apple Interface, Manual & Cable Kit $ 300 $ 239 

Other Interfaces, Omni-Net Constellation, Mirror. All in Stock 


A for the ATARI 

RANA 1000 Drive, 320K $449 $369 

ATARI KOALA, Graphics Pad $100 $ 75 


—ismi . All Mail: P.O.Box 23068, Portland, OR 97223, Include telephone number. 

ORDERING INFORMATION AND IbHMo! All items usually in stock. We immediately honor Cashiers Checks, Money Orders, Fortune 1000 Checks and 
Government Checks. Personal or Company Checks allow 20 days to clear. No. C.O.D. Prices reflect a 3% cash discount so ADD 3% to above prices for VISA or MC. For U.S. Mainland, 
add 3% for shipping, insurance and handling (SI&H) by UPS with $5 minimum for SI&H. UPS ground is standard so add 3% more for UPS Blue with $10 minimum for SI&H. Add 12% total 
for SI&H for US Postal, APO or FPO with $15 minimum for SI&H. For Hawaii, Alaska and Canada, UPS is in some areas only, all others are Postal so call, write, or specify Postal. Foreign 
orders except Canada for S.I&H add 18% or $25 minimum for SI&H except for monitors add 30% or $50 minimum for SI&H. Prices subject to change and typo errors, so call to verify. All 
goods are new, include warranty and are guaranteed to work. Due to our low prices, ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Call before returning goods for repair or replacement. Orders received with 
insufficient S.I&H charges will be refunded. ORDER DESK HOURS 6 A.M. fo 6 P.M. PST, Monday through Friday and 10 to 4 Saturday. 6 A.M. here is 9 A.M. in New York. 

OUR REFERENCES : We have been in computers and electronics since 1958, a computer dealer since 1979 and in mail order since 1980. Banks: 1st Interstate Bank, 
(503) 643-4678. We belong to the Chamber of Commerce (503) 644-0123, Better Business Bureau (503) 227-0648 and Direct Marketing Association, or call Dunn and Bradstreef if you 
are a subscriber. Fastrakand Generik ’* are trademarks of ComX Corporation. WordStar, MailMerge, Slarlndex, InfoSlar, are trademarks of MicroPro. 


★ Means a BEST buy 


AD #983 


CASH & CARRY OUTLETS: 

Over-the-counter sales only. Open Monday through Saturday 10:00 until 5:00. 
PORTLAND, OREGON, 11507-0 S.W. Pacific Hwy, Terrace Shopping Center. Tigard 
On 99W between 217 and 1-5 Call 245-1020. 

SEATTLE, WASH., 3540 128th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA 98006, Tele.: 641-4736, 
between Lochmanris Plaza and Factona Place, SE of Hwy. 405 & 90 and at SE 38th & 12811 



















































































lor Ihe 

IBM-PC or XT 


HARDWARE 


IBM is a 
trademark of 
3 IBM Corporation. 

IBM-PC 

System Includes 
Two 320K Disk Drives by CDC 

90 Day Warranty By Us 

Call For Details And Configurations 

LIST OUR 
PRICE PRICE 

Ml MORY CHIP KITS 


1 i 'i .'HONS, 9chips. 4164 
' ' •' MINS 9chips. 4116(lor PC -1 motherboard) 


1.100°o tested With 90 day warranty. 


$ 45 
$ 16 


4 IN • 1 Multiple Board. Color Graphics. Mono. 128K S 599 $519 

( ombo Plus. 64K w Ser. async para & dock calendar S 395 $ 279 

/ « H i Above Combo Plus.256K.S PC S 695 $475 

McgaPlus II. 64K.2-S PC. and software S 495 $345 

256K.2-S PC, and software S 795 $495 

Expand 256K MegaPlusII to512K Kit S 395 $ 295 


LIST 
PRICE 
S 80 
S 50 
S 25 

S 499 

S 269 

S 150 
S 15 

256K RAM Card SPECIAL S 875 
MIOROWT 64K System Card. 4 Funclion S 395 
ifltvnwJVl I 256 K System Card. 4 Function S 625 

ftDfMJin ‘ Local Area Networking Starter System. 2.0 $1490 

VMvniU.MorxxhromeGraphcsAdapter 720H x 350V. w64K $499 

PLANTRONICS/FREDERICKS 

ColorPlus. 16 color brd w Para Port $475 


PI IDT1C p C Pedeslai'lor Display on PC 
CUn I ID. 9 Foot Cable lor IBM Keyboard (extends 3 to 9 l 
Vedicai ‘System Stand" lor PC CPU 

HERCULES .Hi Res Graphics Board 

Key Tronic . KB5150. Standard T ypewnter keyboard 

Koala Pad'Touch Tablet 
I IUCjIu Programmers Guide 


QUADRAM 


NEW' $ 680 
NEW' $ 295 
S 395 
S 595 
S 395 
S 595 


Quadlink. Apple II Emulator NOW IN STOCK 
Quadboard no RAM. expandable to 256K. 6 function 
Quadboard 64K expandable to 256K. 6 function 
Quadboard 256K. 6 lunclion 
Quadboard II. 64K. 6 function 
Quadboard II. 256K. 6 function 
Quad 512 • .64K plus senal pod. expandable to 512K. 6 function $ 325 

Quad 512 • 256K plus senal pod. expandable to 512K. 6 function $ 550 

Quad 512 •. 512K plus serial pod. 6 function $ 895 

Quadcolor I. board. 16 colors $ 295 

Quadcolor II. board, use with Quadcolorl. set 640 x 200 $ 275 

Microfazer.w Copy. Par Par. 8K,#MP8w Power Supply $ 189 

Microlazer, w Copy. Par Par. 64K #MP64w Power Supply $ 319 

Microfazer. w Copy. Par Par. 128K. #MPl28w Power Supply S 465 

Mcrofazer. Snapon SK. Par Par. Epson. #ME8.w Power Supply $ 179 
Miaofazef.SnafHxi.64K, Par Par. Epson. *ME64.wPwr Supply S 319 
All Miaolazefs are expandable (w copy to 512K) iSnap-on to 64K) 


OUR 
PRICE 
$ 65 
$ 35 
$ 19 

$ 379 

$ 199 

$ 109 
$ 12 
$ 495 
$ 295 
$ 465 

$1190 
$ 379 


$ 465 

$ 215 
$ 279 
$ 395 
$ 285 
$ 395 
$ 265 
$ 420 
$ 625 
$ 225 
$ 209 
$ 129 
$ 219 
$ 295 
$ 145 
$ 235 



64K CHIP KIT 


9 Each. 4164.200 ns. MEMORY EXPANSION. 
90 Day Warranty by us. 


$256 


$239 Two or more. 


ComX 256K RAM BOARD 


Fully Compatible 2 Year Limited Warranty by ComX 
With Fastrak RAM Disk Emulator and Spooler Software 
Works on DOS 1 1 or 2 0 


■. NiiporVif^,m(x)ochromol32Col x 44 line video board S 850 $ 680 

• < •» I Pltm64. fast 7B0B»(MK (nxpandto 192K). para porl $ 875 $695 

( i MI )X HAM Card with Fastrak RAM disk emulator 

and |>riiih>rs|xx)lor software 2 Year Warranty S 695 $ 256 


Tecmar 


1st MATE Board. 64K 
1st MATE Board. 256K 
Graphics Master Board 


TG PRODUCTS .Joystick 


$ 389 $ 295 
S 589 $ 439 
Call Call 

S 65 $ 49 


★ Means a BEST buy. 

AD #983 


SOFTWARE [bm^co, xr 


BUSINESS 

BUSINESS 


LIST 

OUR 


LIST 

OUR 


PRICE 

PRICE 


PRICE 

PRICE 

f All 



NORTH AMERICAN BUS The Answer 

S 250 

$169 

' ,i in 1 <a K'HK 

S 700 

$395 

I ★OSBORNE COMX (Book & Disk Business. 


«< hi.. 

S 30 

$ 20 

Statistic? & Maih Programs) 



ntit'fmini (Book) 

S 15 

$ 12 

Some Common Basic Prog (701 

$ 100 

$ 69 

1*.,. » t ,ll»*l ( ||U|«>| 

$ 700 

$449 

Practical Basic Prog |40> 

S 100 

$ 69 


$ 295 

$199 

PBL CORPORATION Personal Investor 

S 145 

$ 94 

. "M IICH.Vorsaform 

S 389 

$265 

PEACHTREE PeachPak3(GL.AR& AP) 

S 595 

$239 

»"*iimi hi ai iAccountant < 

S 150 

$ 95 

Peach Texi 5000 

$ 395 

$239 

I m i nlrtlnfliiKj, Mailing) 

$ 125 

$ 95 

PERFECT Perfect Writer * 

$ 389 

$149 

i . M iii,ii)umiml 

$ 495 

$329 

Penect Speller 'or Perfect Calc' each 

$ 295 

$ 99 

i '.Viiii' i m (Word Processor) 

S 130 

S 89 

Perfect Filer * 

S 595 

$199 

n*tW " 'Hi n Mint lit Analyzer 

S 350 

$279 

SOFTWARE ARTS. TK'Solver 

$ 299 

$219 

Mmktil Manager 

$ 300 

$239 

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING PFS Fife 

S 140 

S 94 

Mu kul Microscope 

$ 700 

$525 

PFS Report 

S 125 

$ 84 

Mint tut iWAIll. MoneyDecisions 

S 150 

$129 

1 PFS Write NEW' S 140 

$ 95 

i in ,it in Wirtni 

S 300 

$199 

PFS Graph NEW' $ 140 

S 95 

Miflioiy 1 Minor 

$ 80 

$ 55 

SORCIM SuperCaic II 

S 295 

$195 

.nil 11 It Chin knxInfMSDOS) 

$ 295 

$179 

SuperWnler 

S 295 

$199 

dtiifli)h(MSDOS) 

S 295 

$179 

STONWARE.DB Master fa DBMS) 

S 490 

$329 

. mill 1(11 IBM PC DOS 

$ 99 

$ 59 

SYNAPSE Ftie Manager 

$ 100 

$ 67 

hamhh iHMhoWnim 

$ 200 

$135 

SYNERGISTIC Data Reporter 

S 250 

$169 

" •★AHii'iiit l lii .il 1 sluluAnalyzerII 

$ 250 

$189 

T MAKER T Maker III 

S 275 

$169 

.. HNIIMIIH) 1 asyWriterII(WP) 

$ 350 

$259 

VISICORP VtsiCaic* 256K 

S 250 

$179 

1 ttsySpoller II 

$ 225 

$149 

VisiDex or VisiSchedufe 

$ 250 

$189 

1 .isyFllor (a DBMS) 

$ 400 

$299 

VisiFiie or Desktop Plan l 

S 300 

$239 

Inventory Control 

$ 595 

$395 

VisiWord with VisiSpeti (128K) 

S 375 

$269 

MMmiH i ■' it»"-ilgn(lousoDBMS) 

S 225 

$169 




in tin in Made Easy (Book) 

* l lillln < i 

S 17 

S 495 

$ 12 
$329 

UTILITY & SYSTEM 

M uni mai i Vim lid or Billkeeper. each $ 995 

$469 




Ml till I Aft ..12049 

S 40 

$ 29 

HAYES. Smartcom II 

$ 119 

$ 89 

B Hi 'I'M 1 Wimltiur 

$ 495 

$239 

MICROCOM Microtermmai 

S 100 

S 65 

Mail Mingo 

xMillhinr 

$ 250 

$129 

MICROSOFT muMath muSimp 

S 300 

$225 

$ 250 

$129 

Business BASIC Compiler 

S 600 

$450 

w.». It'(I mi Pro, 4 Pak 

$ 895 

$429 

Pascal Compiler 

$ 350 

$255 

• limit |( lax 

S 195 

$109 

C Compiler 

S 500 

$369 

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CIRCLE 128 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


t1983 by Conroy-LaPointe, Inc. 


















































can handle, the four-rate printers spec 
sheets uniformly said 0.011 inch. The 
three-rated Epson’s specs said 0.012 
inch. 

Also note that although the RX-80 
was among the noisiest printers in this 
review, Epson allows a software com¬ 
mand to slow the machine down to half 
speed, which also cuts the noise by 3 
decibels. 

Gorilla Banana 

Maybe it’s not the cheapest printer in 
the whole wide world, but at about $250, 
the Gorilla Banana is undoubtedly the 
cheapest one most people will try to plug 
into their Apples. You could buy two of 
them for the price of other so-called bud¬ 
get printers. 

By strange coincidence, we ended up 
receiving two of them. One had a char¬ 
coal gray plastic case with a glued-on 
label that proudly announced “Gorilla/ 
Banana,” and the other was decorated in 
off-white and labeled “Leading Edge 
GX-100.” In fact, except for color 
scheme the two machines are very much 
the same (GX-100 is the Banana’s offi¬ 
cial model number.) Earlier machines 
were in fact labeled GX-100. 

The biggest lesson the Banana taught 
us was not to make up our minds too 
soon. Certainly we could ignore the 
ridiculous name, but we could not ignore 
the fact that our first Banana came with¬ 
out screws holding the case together. We 
opened the box and got handfuls of 
pieces rather than a printer. Our reaction 
was the same one you’d have if you 
grabbed a banana without its skin— 
Yuk! 

The kit-form printer gave us our first 
view of its mechanism; many of the parts 
looked familiar, as if rescued from a 
child’s toy or radio controlled model. 

In fairness to Leading Edge, its man¬ 
ufacturer, our operating timetable evi¬ 
dently caused it to steal the printer away 
from either trolls who were teasing it or 
another magazine that had been testing it 
with a hacksaw rather than software, 
then to rush it to us. Obviously an abused 
rather than used machine, it seemed to 
have lost touch with the world. The con¬ 
trol codes listed in the manual baffled it 
entirely. After an instruction to print 
expanded characters, it suddenly became 
capable only of line feeds. Upon being 
told to return to normalcy, it would wind 
itself up and whir ominously, cough, and 
totally lose consciousness. The only way 
to revive it was by switching off and 
back on. 

Banana #2/GX-100 arrived the next 
day, completely equipped with screws, 
which made it feel quite solid and filled 
484 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


us with a little more confidence. It was 
completely operational, except that its 
ribbon was dry and printed very faint- 

iy- 

The ribbon on the Gorilla Banana is a 
good example of how cutting all the little 
extras keeps printer costs down. Most 
inexpensive printers have large ribbon 
cartridges that stretch the full width of 
carriage travel. The Banana uses a qua¬ 
sicartridge, two half cartridges that 
mount on either side of the full carriage 
width with nothing but a length of ribbon 
in between them. The quasicartridge is 
easier to load than a noncartridge ribbon 
and won’t turn your fingers purple, but 
it’s not as easy to use as a cartridge. Nev¬ 
ertheless, it works. Though, unlike non¬ 
cartridge ribbons, it cannot be turned 
over to increase its life. 

Another thing you won’t get with the 
Banana is controls. It has only one—an 
on/off switch. There are two indicators: 
a pilot light LED that indicates that the 
solitary switch is turned on and power is 
indeed seeping into the machine, and an 
error LED that lights up when something 

pThe Banana is 
painfully slow; it ran 
through our test at 20 
characters per 
second. 

has gone wrong. The Banana is always 
on-line when properly plugged into your 
Apple, so no “select” or “on-line” 
switches or LEDs are used. 

In lieu of line-feed and form-feed 
switches, and even the platen knobs, the 
Banana has a thin, knurled wheel called 
a “paper feed dial,” the upper edge of 
which protrudes slightly from the top of 
the case. To advance paper, spin the dial 
with your finger or thumb. It clicks in 
increments of 1 /18th of an inch, locating 
the printed line on paper reasonably pre¬ 
cisely. Trying to form feed paper with 
the dial, however, is apt to wear a hole 
through your thumb. Because the dial 
turns only in one direction, there is no 
way to move paper backward. 

A unidirectional tractor handles fan- 
fold continuous form paper, adjustable 
for any width between 4.5 and 10 inches. 
Do not even think of using individual 
sheets of paper without feed sprockets. 
The feed mechanism is not very strong. 
In fact, the manual recommends that 
paper be fed from a stack level with the 
printer—lifting paper from the floor 
might be too much for the miniscule 


mechanism. The warning was well- 
founded. 

Another limitation of the Banana is 
that it doesn’t print descenders. Letters 
that normally droop below the general 
line of text won’t when printed with the 
Banana. Instead, lowercase g’s, /s, p 's 
and q’s all protrude higher than they 
ordinarily should, and lowercase y’s are 
just plain squashed. The reason is that 
the Banana prints a 5-by-7 matrix—sev¬ 
en dots vertically, probably the minimal 
size required to make upper and lower¬ 
case letters decipherable. Normally, true 
descenders require 8 or 9 vertical dots. 

The limitations of the 5-by-7 matrix 
are readily apparent when you want the 
printer to underline. The Banana does 
not even recognize a standard escape 
code instruction to underline. If you 
want to underline, you must instruct it to 
backspace and print an underscore char¬ 
acter ( ). But when you see how it looks, 
you may not want to do that: The under¬ 
scoring prints right over the bottom dot 
of each letter and makes lowercase b’s 
and K s indistinguishable. 

Actually printing with a 5-by-7 ma¬ 
trix is a genuine technical achievement 
because it has a one-wire printhead. 
Rather than having to race past a charac¬ 
ter seven times to form those seven ver¬ 
tical dots, however, it uses a clever 
mechanism. The platen, normally the 
round rubber roller that the print wires 
strike against, is a spinning cylinder with 
raised ridges. The relative position of 
each ridge when the printhead fires 
determines the vertical location of the 
dot on the paper. The position of the 
printhead itself determines the horizontal 
location of the dot. The mechanism 
saves many moving parts—about six 
finicky print wires—and replaces them 
with one reliable rotating platen. 

The penalty, however, is speed. The 
printhead must fire up to seven times for 
each horizontal position it advances. 
Further, the printhead is unidirection¬ 
al—it only moves from left to right. Net 
result: the Banana is painfully slow; it 
ran through our test at 20 characters per 
second. Nor is it a very mighty print 
mechanism—two-part forms are the 
thickest it can handle. 

Banana’s manufacturer also cut cor¬ 
ners in the special printing features 
department. The Banana prints with only 
one character height and style and two 
character widths: 10 pitch and double¬ 
width 5 pitch. It has only one other print 
mode—dot-addressable graphics. 

When we attached it to our Apple lie, 
the Banana gave us double-line feeds; no 
Continued on page 174 
























THE BEST WAY 




THEWDE 






Iransend electronic com¬ 
munications software for 
the Apple is now faster 
and easier to use. 

For the beginner: 
Menus guide you through 
each step. Hit a key to 
choose an option. 

Once you’ve started: 
New HANDS-OFF macros 
do complete routines with 
just one command (or by 
pushing the "Power-On" 
button.) You can create 
macros of up to 33 com¬ 
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mode commands. 

A HANDS-OFF com¬ 
mand line can perform all 
your menu selections such 
as dial, receive, and print 
messages. 

Choose the package 
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Transend 3™ lets you 
schedule electronic mail 
deliveries with a minimum 
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from your unattended 
Apple to other unattended 
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tor lets you write and send 
messages without switch¬ 
ing software. 

Every Transend pack¬ 
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Money-back guaran¬ 
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Computer. Inc THE SOURCE is a service mark of The Source 
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Association. Inc. 


CIRCLE 129 ON READER SERVICE CARD 









































































































►APPLES AT WORK/BY JAN SHAW 



THE 

GREAT AMERICAN 

APPLE 

From cinematic 
animation to 
recordkeeping in the 
personnel department, 
Apple computers lend a 
hand at Marriott's 
Great America 
amusement park. 

His name is Foghorn Leghorn, and he’s a 
seven-foot-tall chicken who hangs out in 
front of the Snowshoe Saloon. 

Foghorn, who has a five-foot-long 
tail, a two-foot beak and feet like some¬ 
thing out of a movie called “Chickens 
Take Over the World,” is run by an 
Apple computer. 

An attendant opens the doors to his 
ramshackle saloon. Foghorn sits at an 
old upright piano that is wrapped in 
chicken wire. Straw hangs from the 
room’s exposed rafters and a mock wood 
stove is off in a comer. The chicken 
dominates the small room. With the help 
of the Apple, Foghorn starts his show. 

He bellows comic patter and sings old 
barroom songs appropriately tailored to 
the tots who stare up at him. They think 
he’s real, and most of his monologue is 
aimed at them. His head moves up and 
down and from side to side as one eye 
rolls down to look at the children while 
his over-stuffed fingers plink out tunes 
on the piano. 

Foghorn seems to be a hit. 
Overwhelming Numbers 

He is part of a multi-million dollar 
business called Marriott’s Great Ameri¬ 
ca, a theme park in Santa Clara, Califor¬ 
nia. Foghorn is a small part of the 
amusement available to the approxi¬ 
mately 30,000 people who wander 
through the 65-acre park on a good day. 
Marriott’s business is to give its custom¬ 
ers a good time with little inconve- 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^51 
















nience. Marriott’s employees must keep 
the customers satisfied. 

The job of hiring an efficient staff 
starts in the personnel office, a small, 
temporary-looking building located near 
the park. Inside, thirty chairs are 
arranged in neat rows facing the win¬ 
dows. On a recent day about half were 
occupied by teenagers filling out appli¬ 
cations or waiting to be interviewed. 

The slow season has set in; twenty- 
five to thirty applications come in each 
day. Starting in January the office will be 
inundated by about 300 applications dai¬ 
ly, a pace that will continue through the 
end of March before the park opens. In 
one year the personnel office here pro¬ 
cesses about 10,000 applications. 

It’s a large task that was once done 
manually. It took a lot of time, a lot of 
people, and was cumbersome. 

Then, 4 years ago, Tony Scott, Mar¬ 
riott’s manager of employment and man¬ 
power utilization, bought two Apple IIs 
for the office. Those two, the 9 Apples 
subsequently purchased, and the 7 or 8 
Apples employees brought from home 
have changed the way business is done at 
Marriott’s in marketing, rides and ad¬ 
missions, cash control and especially in 
personnel. Computers keep track of 
applicants and the 2,500 employees in 
what is essentially a small city between 
Memorial Day and Labor Day and a 
ghost town the rest of the year. 

During Marriott’s small city phase, 
some employees work 18 major rides, 23 
shops, 26 restaurants, 15 food kiosks, 26 
game centers and 15 arcades. Others 
help major song-and-dance reviews, mi¬ 
nor shows, roving bands and magicians, 
minstrels, and strolling cartoon charac¬ 
ters. Additionly, there are maintenance 
people, programmers, accountants, sec¬ 
retaries, carpenters, medical people, 
clerks and all the other people necessary 
to Marriott’s business. 

Tracking Details 

Scott is in his office next to the per¬ 
sonnel waiting room. He talks about the 
Apple that sits on a desk in the waiting 
area. 

“We do all the personnel stuff, man¬ 
power utilization, park productivity, la¬ 
bor-hour control, and a lot of reports that 
use the database to track developments 
on that Apple. It has been a phenomenal 
tool,’’ he says. 


Scott supplements the usual general 
information kept in the Apple about 
employees with data on special skills, 
foreign languages, and training in run¬ 
ning rides or other park-related jobs. 

“We have, people visiting the park 
who speak only Japanese or Swahili,” 
Scott says, leaning back in his chair and 
lighting a cigarette. “With an Apple, 
you just punch in the language and up 
come the people who speak it. 

“We’re working on a financial 
project. It involves every area of the park 
and ranks sales, labor hours, and labor 
costs. We threw it on the Apple and, 
presto, whamo, we had the information. 
We couldn’t do that before. We had the 
information but it wasn’t formulated to 
be useful,” he says. 

The second Apple II in personnel is 
tucked into a four-by-six foot cubby¬ 
hole. Scott takes a seat and then looks 
embarrassed. Loose papers, pencils, and 
odds and ends festoon the tiny place. An 
ashtray, half-filled, identifies this Apple 
as the one where Scott does most of his 
work. He hastily sweeps aside the lit¬ 
ter. 

Less Paperwork 

Scott is at the Apple to demonstrate 
how he and others schedule fluctuating 
shifts for the 240 workplaces in the park, 
which he describes as a monumental 
task. He punches up the program and 
gives an example. According to Scott, 
many of the restaurant managers are col¬ 
lege students who may have little or no 
experience beyond the general knowl¬ 
edge that more people are needed at din¬ 
ner and lunch than at other times. 

“So we wrote out a program to help 
them out,” Scott says. 

A manager keys in the number of peo¬ 
ple he or she thinks will be needed at 
various times, say, five at dinners and 
lunches and two in other periods. It’s 
broken into 15-minute segments. The 
program allows for lunches and breaks 
and the 15-minute walk to get to some of 
the restaurants. In the final schedule, 
when five people are needed, five people 
are there—not at lunch, not on a break, 
not getting there—but at their jobs, 
according to Scott. 

The program also aims for long shifts. 
It takes about ten minutes from the time a 
manager walks into the cubbyhole, sits 
down, gets comfortable, calls up the pro¬ 


gram, punches in what he or she needs, 
says good morning to passersby, and 
checks the final results to when the man¬ 
ager leaves the cubbyhole with a sched¬ 
ule for each employee. 

“The problem before the Apple was 
the paperwork. It was a disincentive,” 
Scott says. It was easier for managers not 
to keep fiddling with the shifts trying to 
optimize efficiency, while wearing holes 
in the schedule with their erasers. “This 
program and the Apple maximize a per¬ 
son’s shift and minimize the number of 
people needed. If some kid for some rea¬ 
son has to work 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
on Fridays, we can put that in and the 
computer works around it. It’s an inter¬ 
esting, unique program that we have 
here. I don’t know anyone else who does 
this.” 

Beyond Scheduling 

The Apples in personnel also print 
employee identification cards, track 
equal opportunity employment data for 
government reports, do some word pro¬ 
cessing, and run financial modeling for 
special events to help determine profit¬ 
ability. 

Scott says the Apple is particularly 
good for details. For example, if the 
drink stand near the dolphin show tem¬ 
porarily loses one employee to the flu, 
that’s half the workforce at that station. 
The computer flags it. “The small ones 
are where the worries are. It’s critical to 
keep tabs on those. Keeping track of 
openings could be monumental if it 
weren’t on a computer.” 

Someone pokes his head around the 
comer of the cubbyhole, sees that the 
Apple is in use, then disappears. Scott 
grins and explains that while all depart¬ 
ments have access to mainframe com¬ 
puters, not all have the small Apples. He 
finds people regularly wandering in to 
use his, especially finance people, who 
have taken to running weekly capital 
expenditures on the Apple in the cubby¬ 
hole. 

Scott gets up, checks his cigarette 
supply, and strides through the waiting 
area and down a side hall to the market¬ 
ing and sales department, where another 
Apple is in use. He points to a dark¬ 
haired young woman, who keeps track 
of the “tens of thousands” of clients 
contacted yearly by Marriott’s account 
executives, who sell various group ticket 


Santa Clara Park led all Marriott divisions in the use of microcomputers. 

52 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 




























p 

" -i •!<) tend at first to stare strangely at the newly-installed computers. 


; pl.Mi*. to corporations and other organiza- 

flOH’t 

n< lore Apple, when a group ticket 
i i... w.is sold to, say, Intel, she logged 
.nmally, in three different places, 

• !». M.tine of the group, when they would 
. 11 the name of the salesperson, and 
in. 1 1 group ticket plan was sold. 

Now, she types it into the computer 

. and when we want to know some- 

tin. .r we just punch it up,” Scott says. 

I Ik group sales data are used in pro- 
|. .ting attendance at the park. “The 
individual days are fairly predictable 

• • don past stuff, but if Intel has 5,000 

.ting over, then you have to staff up.” 

lli. Apple in marketing and sales was 
mtioduced last year. The company is 

(ill experimenting with it. 

I'nirs Evaporate 

Scott is the in-house programmer, and 
i" ;iys that once an Apple is installed, 
In doesn’t have the time to do all the 
dungs people want done when they real- 
i/o (lie computer’s potential. 

‘It’s getting better though. We have 
i.. i >i ing people up to speed on how to use 
I lu*in. You have to hold their hands at 
Him,” he says. 

I Vople tend at first to stare strangely 
•I iIk* newly-installed computers. 

‘Now, people are running their own 
•.mil. Their curiosity is so great, they 
overcome any uncertainty quickly. Once 
11 icy’re exposed to it, they want to do 
twenty things with the information, they 
w ant me to develop the report for them, 
aiul they want me to do it tomorrow.” 

Scott takes people through the pro- 
p ‘mining and reporting step-by-step so 
d»ey learn to do it themselves. Most are 
juolicient, or nearly so, now. 

< iisli Flow 

lie leaves the small marketing, per- 

.id and costume-changing building 

to head toward the cashier’s office inside 
tin park. It is another office that uses 
\pplrs. On the way, he stops briefly to 
i .mi out Foghorn Leghorn, looks satis- 
i. i and ducks out a gate marked “Em- 
pl.>m*s Only.” He rounds a comer and 

• hi. i a small, one-story building. It’s 
di. < i ;h control center. 

.. oil explains that attendants pick up 
ill. m . ash at the center in the morning 
and i . turn with it at the end of the day. 
M mine in are sent to pick up cash at the 
I .i m as as the day passes. Behind 


heavy mesh screens, across an open 
office area, is the room where the incom¬ 
ing and outgoing cash is tracked. Em¬ 
ployees use two Apples to reconcile the 
cash at the end of the day, a major under¬ 
taking, according to Scott, who, without 
giving a figure, says that “a whole lot” 
of money goes through the system. 

“Without a computer, you’re talking 
about reams and reams of adding 
machine tape,” he says. 

Ride Control 

The front doors of the cash control 
center face the end of a lane that cuts 
through the park but is not open to the 
public. It allows Marriott employees to 
get to work without getting stuck in park 
crowds. Shifts of workers come and go 
throughout Marriott’s eleven- and thir¬ 
teen-hour days as 10,000 to 30,000 cus¬ 
tomers roam the premises. Donald Duck 
walks into the company cafeteria, look¬ 
ing for lunch. A furry, doglike creature 
climbs the steps to the back door of an 
auditorium, where shows are performed 
every few hours. A saxophonist with his 
bowler hat pushed back on his head 
works on a riff under a shade tree. 

The rides and admissions office is at 
the far end of the lane near a ride that 
sends customers into upside-down 
loops. As the open cars hurtle down the 
ramp, joyful terror is plastered on grin¬ 
ning faces and eyebrows seem deter¬ 
mined to find new resting places. The 
twenty or so people who flash by 
scream, but it looks like fun. 

The rides and admissions people, 
who are responsible for that and other 
rides, project and track attendance. They 
use data from previous years as well as 
the number and size of groups scheduled 
for the park that day. 

Scott climbs the stairs to rides manag¬ 
er Kent Mitchell’s second-story office. 
Mitchell stands at his desk, and an Apple 
sits on a small table in the comer. 

“I use the Apple for budgets, atten¬ 
dance projections, attendance summa¬ 
ries and ride analysis—that’s a ride’s 
potential capacity measured against what 
it is actually doing,” Mitchell says. He 
also does six reports daily on the Apple 
and has nearly completed a computer 
program for guest comments. 

For example, the park opens at 10 
a.m. At 11 a.m., the park attendance 
projection is reforecast and staffing 


adjusted if needed. Scott says it would 
take much longer if the admissions peo¬ 
ple didn’t have the Apple. 

The department must also keep track 
of its personnel. When the Log Run 
operator calls in sick the rides people 
have to know immediately who has been 
cross-trained in that ride. The Apple 
tracks who has passed the written and 
practical tests for the rides under their 
jurisdiction, and the computer can 
produce the list almost immediately. 
Sharing Information 

Rides and admissions, sales and mar¬ 
keting, cash control, and personnel over¬ 
lap to some extent. In addition to shared 
sales data, basic information on employ¬ 
ees is available to rides from personnel, 
and the rides people work with cash con¬ 
trol on the cash overages and shortages at 
the gates. 

It is a complicated, fluctuating sys¬ 
tem, in which scheduling must be flexi¬ 
ble and managers fast on their feet. 

Marriott’s second park, about an 
hour’s drive from Chicago, has followed 
Santa Clara’s lead in the use of Apple 
computers. According to Scott, the San¬ 
ta Clara park led all Marriott divisions in 
the use of microcomputers. The two 
parks keep each other up to date and 
compare results by transferring informa¬ 
tion via the Apples—a method Scott 
describes as timely and cost-effective. 
Goodnight, Foghorn 

Scott is on his way back to the person¬ 
nel office, but detours to the video game 
arcade. The games interest him, and he 
is developing a program on the Apple to 
keep daily records of each of the arcade’s 
several hundred machines. 

He pauses to look at a game, then 
heads toward another employee gate. 

The personnel waiting room is empty of 
teenagers as Scott enters the building. 

The Apple computers sit unattended. For 
most people the work day is ending. 

But at Marriott’s Great America 
theme park, it is early. Rides will be rid¬ 
den, games will be played, shows will be 
seen and food will be eaten until late into 
the night. 

Some shifts are just beginning. A 
large rabbit walks down a lane between 
the buildings toward the park. 

And somewhere, in a small saloon in 
Marriott’s Great America, Foghorn Leg¬ 
horn is still singing his songs. + 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^53 















►APPLES AT WORK/BY DON KENNEDY 




m 



Brokerage house Merrill Lynch is conducting 
business with Apple computers and a stockbroker- 
specific applications package, but this is 
just the beginning of a brave, new office world. 


Ritch Gaiti is bullish on computers. 
And, when Ritch Gaiti talks, people lis¬ 
ten; he is the vice president of Advanced 
Office Systems for Merrill, Lynch, 
Pierce, Fenner and Smith, the giant Wall 
Street brokerage and investment house. 

Gaiti oversees the automation for all 
of Merrill Lynch’s retail office systems, 
including on-line system development, 
neighborhood processing, office auto¬ 
mation, and office technological devel¬ 
opment. The Apple Computer is an inte¬ 
gral part of the system he is developing. 
Gaiti, and others like him, are taking the 
initial steps that may revolutionize the 
running of large office systems. 

roker’s Edge allows 
the users to collect 
and sort the data 
according to 
numerous categories. 

“Around 1980,’’ he recalls, “ac¬ 
count executives started fooling around 
with personal computers and trying to 
figure out how to make money with 
them. Before then, the additional hard¬ 
ware and software just weren’t avail- 
544 A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


able. 

“We’re a prime market—we’re af¬ 
fluent; we have the need and the entre- 
peneurs,’’ says Gaiti. At the outset Mer¬ 
rill Lynch surveyed its account execu¬ 
tives and found that very few of them 
actually had personal computers. Most 
of them were what Gaiti refers to as tech¬ 
nicians—people deeply involved in ac¬ 
count analysis. Seeing the potential to 
create a powerful new tool for its account 
executives, Merrill Lynch hired a team 
of experts and told them to develop a 
system that would support the needs of 
its account executives. 

“At that time,’’ Gaiti says, “there 
were 40 to 50 personal computers (in our 
offices) in the country. Most were Radio 
Shacks. But this changed quickly; Apple 
took over primarily because of its busi¬ 
ness appeal and the wide range of soft¬ 
ware it offered.’’ 

Specific Software 

Software was specifically developed 
and licensed by Merrill Lynch for its 
account executives and was further sup¬ 
ported by a newsletter and telephone hot¬ 
line. Today, the system, The Broker's 
Edge , has been licensed to about 400 
account executives. 

The Broker's Edge is an excellent 
example of program development aimed 
at solving specific job-oriented prob¬ 
lems, while remaining flexible enough 
to adapt to individual requirements and 
needs. 

Essentially the problem was to create 
a package for the account executives, 
which would allow them to know where 


their customers were, to sort through the 
names for appropriate matches, and to 
assist in contacting customers quickly. 
Perhaps it was a stockbroker who came 
up with the saying “Time is money.’’ It 
well expresses the stockbroker’s ability 
to sink or swim in today’s investment 
world. 

The key to The Broker's Edge is that 
it allows each account executive to mod¬ 
ify the package. Says Gaiti, “We told 
our account executives that if the infor¬ 
mation given doesn’t suit your needs, 
here’s a simple way to modify it.’’ 

In addition to storing and maintaining 
customer information, The Broker's 
Edge also allows the users to collect and 
sort the data according to numerous cat¬ 
egories. It also will create contact and 
mailing lists and can even mail the enve¬ 
lopes for the account executive. 

Gaiti further explains the application: 
“Say the firm has a new offering in 
municipal bonds, which an account 
executive knows would appeal to doc¬ 
tors in a particular tax bracket. The soft¬ 
ware would provide a list of those people 
who fall into this category. The account 
executive can send them a note, which 
the computer will automatically gener¬ 
ate. It can also generate a contact list or 
flash the information right on the screen 
for the account executive’s immediate 
use. 

“It gives him a way to target, to zero 
in on clients. It enables him to look at 
clients he might have missed.’’ 
Learning Requires Perseverance 

Gaiti says the reaction to the system 
has been extremely positive. “There’s 
such an obvious need—the account 
executives love it, especially because 
it’s customized for their needs.’’ 

However, he cautions account execu¬ 
tives who expect to reap immediate ben¬ 
efits from their Apples. “My key goal is 
to make them successful users. First, 






























o 


G Y • A T 



he computer 
< an generate a 
contact list or flash 
Ihe information 
right on the 
screen for the 
account executive’s 
Immediate use. 


ilu v have to make a commitment. Then, 
they have to lower their expectations. 
Some of them expect to turn on the 
machine and have dollars come out the 
oilier end. This doesn’t happen. New 
users must commit themselves to spend- 
iii ■ lots of weekends and nights learning 
I lit computer. 

They’re getting a powerful tool that 
requires a considerable investment in 
nine and learning. The real investment 
In gins after the user takes the computer 

• mu of the box.” As if to prove his point, 

< taiii adds, “I have an Apple at home, 
mid I still have a lot of learning to do—it 
i il i a lot of perseverance.” 

Gaiti is well aware of the problems of 
the layman first confronting the corn¬ 
el' Miics of the computer. He credits 
\|»plc with being very clever: “It wrote 

• i manuals in a talky, down-to-earth 
i v li This was the key to its suc- 

I he use of the Apple in Merrill Lynch 
••Min throughout the country only 


approaches the horizon of the brave new 
office world that Gaiti envisions. “In the 
current environment, the personal com¬ 
puter is a stopgap,” he says. “In the 
long run, we have to integrate it. If we’re 
smart, we leverage it and integrate it and 
plug it into our network. There will be a 
personal computer, or some source of 
computer power, at every account exec¬ 
utive’s desk. Personal computers are the 
way everyone will go.” 

The system in which he hopes to inte¬ 
grate the personal computer is already 
underway at Merrill Lynch. In its final 
stage, Gaiti envisions the total integra¬ 
tion of all office functions: Word pro¬ 
cessing, communications with clients 
through the on-line system, which, 
alone, is a 14,000-terminal network on 
the mainframe, linked to over 400 
branches throughout the world. 

“I’m working toward the ultimate 
integration of all automation, because it 
makes sense economically,” Gaiti says. 
“If we don’t do this, what would result 
would be disparate, divergent, uninte¬ 
grated systems.” 

Already, Merrill Lynch has taken the 
initial steps under Gaiti’s guidance by 
standardizing the office environment to 
create a common, uniform base. 

In the future the personal computer 
will become the management work sta¬ 
tion, no longer merely the collector and 
sorter of data. At such a time, experi¬ 
mentation will take place with what Gaiti 
calls “customer PC interaction.” 

Says Gaiti, “Right now technology is 
way ahead of our ability to make full use 
of it. Anything can be done. Just think 
about it, and write out the check.” The 
result, Gaiti believes, is much more pro¬ 
found than merely saving time and effort 
by using Apple computers and other 
tools of the new technology. Office auto¬ 
mation has brought about a fundamental 
change in how we approach business and 


the way it is conducted. 

“From a management point of 
view,” he says, “we’ve been in automa¬ 
tion forever; we had to be just to survive. 
But did I ever think office automation 
would get where it is now? No, I never 
envisioned it. 

“The rate of change is obviously 
increasing dramatically; we’re condi¬ 
tioning ourselves to this pace and build¬ 
ing a much more dynamic operation.” 

The dynamism Gaiti speaks of is not 
unique to the corporate world. With a 
smile, he tells of his own change in atti¬ 
tude toward the field he has worked in 
for 17 years. 

“I’ve always enjoyed this field,” he 
says, “but 6 or 7 years ago I was con¬ 
sidering leaving it because I was bored 
and felt I had nothing left to do. 

Apple wrote its 
manuals in a taiky, 
down-to-earth style. 

This was the key to its 
success. 


“And now, a mere 7 years later—this 
is a genesis. I’ve never been as busy, as 
thrilled, as motivated as I am right now. 

To me it’s the rebirth of a whole indus¬ 
try.” 

And that feeling of rebirth explains 
why Ritch Gaiti, the man who buys Mer¬ 
rill Lynch’s computers, is bullish on the 
future. + 

A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^55 















t APPLES AT WORK/BY HANK HARRISON 


IS 

FOR 

APPLE, 

OAKLAND, 

AND 

BASEBALL 


























headquarters is nearby, in Cupertino. 
Now, every player and interested party 
in the A’s organization has data windows 
at his finger tips, before, during, and 
after any game. 

Many other ball clubs are following 
suit. What is now a trend may become an 
avalanche over the next two years as 
computers such as the Lisa, which can be 
operated without typing skills, and the 
portable and rugged Mackintosh are 
phased in. Haas says the A’s will never 
use a computer in the bull pen, but some 
teams seem to be moving in that direc¬ 
tion. 

The Computer Wave 

Only a few teams now use an on-line 
Apple to help make important decisions, 
including the A’s, the White Sox and the 


had the temerity to introduce technology 
into this tradition-bound game. There is 
an Apple in Oakland’s future. 

Oakland isn’t the only team with a 
computer and, to some extent, the 
Apple’s presence is the result of a series 
of coincidences. Two years ago Haas 
and Eisenhardt hired a computer literate 
manager looking for a machine to give 
him an edge. A local software house had 
just designed a major league database 
management system, which they offered 
to the A’s, who had hired a computer and 
baseball enthusiast to set up a system. 
Finally, Apple Computer’s corporate 


\\ .ill \ Units and his brother-in-law Roy 
i i*t ulinidt own the Oakland Athletics 
Imm ImII (cam. To the cheers of thou- 
•Miil’t ol Oakland fans and dozens of 
play* i they look over from Charlie Fin- 
i* v in i Jovcmber, 1980. 

Iln new owners are from the Bay 
So .• and Ihough they said little about 
• ii plans, everyone sensed that a bright 
and progressive local management 

I " • add replace Finley’s absentee style. 

I lie new owners have not just ushered 
in t new era in Oakland, they are part of 
• • towing trend in baseball. They have 


9 





















Yankees, but many teams use some kind 
of computer to aid in secondary deci¬ 
sion-making or are evaluating the addi¬ 
tion of a system at this time. 

Steve Boros, the A’s manager, makes 
final decisions himself, but has the 
Apple II + and its sophisticated software 
available to him. 

Boros says the Apple is particularly 
valuable for scouting new players. The 
system gives him data instantly that 
would take years to accumulate by 
hand. 

He hasn’t been in the league long 
enough to know all of the players’ statis¬ 
tics by memory, but with an Apple he 
can get figures on any player’s perfor¬ 
mance over the past two seasons. 

Tony LaRussa, who manages the 
White Sox, uses the same system, with 
impressive results. The White Sox were 
at the top of the American League West 
through most of the 1983 season. 

LaRussa says he can set up a game 
before it is played and can get a clear 
picture of prior performance and a pitch¬ 
er’s likely choice of throws by placing 
any theoretical pitcher up against any 
theoretical batter. 

One major league baseball manager 
occasionally uses a home computer on 
his own time. The club doesn’t know he 
uses it, but he has had great success in 
pin-pointing opponents’ fielding weak¬ 
nesses by putting the tip of a light pen 



WERE LOATHE 
TO ADMIT 
THE “DREADFUL 
BOX” EVEN 
EXISTED. 

mounted in an Apple He with a Z-80 card 
at two points on the screen for each hit in 
each inning. 

By the third inning a pattern starts to 
form and, by pressing a button, he can 
replay the entire game in fast motion. He 
takes the information from a simple 
paper score card. 

This manager, who prefers not to be 
identified, gives some background on 
his system: Chewing an immense cud of 
tobacco, he says, “Yeah, my son wrote 
the menus and graphics in GraForth and 
we hooked it to a Pascal database. It’s in 
the experimental stages now. This baby 
never travels with me.” His face broke 
into a grin. “It’s my secret weapon.” 


The Nature of Statistics 

Baseball may be the most statistical of 
modem games. Many fans are drawn to 
the sport, not for love of the game, but 
out of lust for numbers. 

For many fans the day does not start 
properly without a complete analysis of 
the box scores of yesterday’s games. 
Some diehards resent the competition 
between computers and their own photo¬ 
graphic memories, but computers will 
never replace gray matter. They simply 
provide a way to expand statistical spec¬ 
ulation. 

Baseball isn’t the only spectator sport 
using computers. To understand just 
how dynamic these off-field applications 
can be in almost any sport, it is important 
to distinguish between “fan statistics” 
and “game-time-decision statistics.” 

Fan statistics are numerical tallies that 
are entertaining. They tell newscasters 
and fans how a batter, runner, quarter¬ 
back, forward, or team is doing relative 
to a career or compared with other teams 
and past performances. 

Game-time-decision statistics pro¬ 
vide details useful to managers and play¬ 
ers, such as players’ health and recent 
workout reports. 

A detailed and precise player status 
analysis could reveal a weak spot in a 
defense, and any team with current data 
could be coached to exploit weak¬ 
nesses. 

The A’s Apple 

The Oakland Athletics Apple II + sys¬ 
tem is operated by a baseball wizard 
called Jay Alvez. Alvez works directly 
with Boros and will also consult with any 
player who desires access to his data 
banks. On request, Alvez can hook up to 
the mainframe in Philadelphia and get 
almost any current performance print¬ 
out. 

Originally from Half Moon Bay, Cal¬ 
ifornia, Alvez was an early baseball 
fanatic. At the age of five, in the days 
before the A’s came to Oakland, he 
astonished his parents by memorizing 
the names, numbers, and daily statistics 
of the San Francisco Giants. After high 
school, Alvez went to Arizona to play 
baseball and attend college, in that 
order. He got a degree in radio and tele¬ 
vision media and studied computer sci¬ 
ences. He hoped to be a professional 
ballplayer, but instead discovered his 
talent for computers and became a sys¬ 
tems designer. His heart belonged to 
baseball. 

Alvez joined the A’s in 1981 after 
working for a few years in the Bay Area 
news media. His first goal was to set up a 
computer database that would provide 






























APPLE IS 
PARTICULARLY 
VALUABLE FOR 
SCOUTING NEW 
PLAYERS. 


IHh ini i" • m ores for various news peo- 
1*1 i mi quickly expanded the idea to 

mi .|nt (cam statistics. Alvez says 

III in vsicin can create an entire box 

* • Mi 1 11 1 several added statistics, 

•mid I*m release to the newspapers six 
mi .. .tiler a game ends. 

Mi \ \s use an Apple II + system that 

* *lln * Ily tied to a Digital mainframe on 
11 it mi ,i coast by way of a Hayes Smart 
i* l**•!. mi running at 1200 baud. It runs a 

•n nr package called EDGE 1.000 , 
if !• was developed by Pacific Select 
i piM.iiion of San Francisco. 

Mm computer itself is not unusual, 
i !»• \pple II + runs an 80-column board 
•••d Mpcrates on normal Apple DOS, but 
a do. have an odd triple disk drive 
iiiiitngeinent. 

rite three disk drives are cleverly set 
"p Drive A is the boot and program 
it l which holds all program material, 
lit- disks are write-protected. 

Duve B holds material on the A’s 
pulled from the mainframe and is 
updated after each game. Alvez says this 
•m* in handy during a doubleheader, 
hen it is difficult to update material 

.. the last game on such short 

notice. 

I >i ive C holds updated material on the 
••pposing team. This material can be 

• m i- curate, since new updates are always 
i - u-l* r to get on the opposition than on 

•hi own squad. 

All requests from players and manag- 

* i iic printed as hard copy before the 
r iiuc, but during the game, the system is 
.pied with tracking the real-time 

• vents. 

Alvez says players at first were loathe 
10 admit the “dreadful box” even 

• 11 sled. “But lately many players have 

• en the light and have been requesting 
" polls of all kinds. I think they’re com- 

• nr .uound,” he says. 

In its current state, the system can tell 

• pl.tyer when he is performing above or 
i- Imw par at bat and in the field and can 
|Mv« ;i complete graphics printout of 

• m i v hit or pitch in the last game or any 
number of past games. A pitcher can see 
■ 1 1 - •- he went wrong. A coach can see 

• *"i- or overlaps in a defense and can 
.I« adjustments accordingly. 

I lirse reports are valuable for training 
i-ium . and trouble shooting, but they 
•" 1 1 so boost player morale because 

• Ii- \ n (luce anxiety. The computer can 
id. uid v one real problem out of a thou- 

""i worrisome possibilities. 

VS Hit the Apple and the Edge 1.000 
*i ii ' u. , Steve Boros and other manag- 

* *.id the leagues can keep track of 

... of cross references. Batter- 


pitcher correlations are a snap to do, and 
it’s easy to find a hitter’s zone of effec¬ 
tiveness, or a base runner’s base-stealing 
effectiveness against a particular catch¬ 
er, or an outfielder’s position effective¬ 
ness against a particular batter. 

The Computer Ball Paradox 

Oakland A’s fans, who suffered first 
with Finley, then with “Billyball,” stay 
loyal, though some worry that their 
game will soon turn into “computer- 
ball.” The idea of computerball is as ri¬ 
diculous as Billyball turned out to be, but 
the fear of computers as applied to base¬ 
ball presents a problem. Will the fear and 
loathing of computers, especially of the 
innocent Apple, eventually divide the 
fans into two camps? Will seats in the 
stadium be reserved in two sections, one 
for computer lovers and one for comput¬ 
er aliens? 

People who fear computers distort 
their importance and portray them as evil 
giants designed to take the fun out of a 
game, but anyone with any practical 
experience realizes that computers are 
rarely more than electronic file cabinets 
or housekeeping tools. 

The EDGE 1.000 program is an 
excellent example. It is a database that 
houses some sophisticated graphics rou¬ 
tines, but it isn’t magic. The A’s and the 
White Sox use virtually identical pro¬ 
grams, yet the A’s have trailed the White 
Sox most of the season. 

If the software and the computers that 
use it were as important as people fear, 
the two clubs would always be tied for 
first place. But they are not. 

When two teams use an identical sys¬ 
tem, the overall outcome will rely on the 
human reactions to computer sugges¬ 
tions. Two managers may make two dif¬ 
ferent decisions based on the same data. 


The outcome will reflect the manager’s 
baseball philosophy and depend on the 
player’s raw talent, not on the computer. 
The computer can make suggestions, but 
it can’t turn Jerry Lewis into Willie 
Mays. 

Billy Martin, currently the manager 
of the New York Yankees, may be able 
to keep those statistics in his head, as he 
claims, but most of us can’t. The com¬ 
puter helps managers and players not 
quite as gifted as Martin who may want 
to keep information organized or docu¬ 
ment a day’s batting practice. 

The Future 

The computer is only one form of 
technology currently invading sports. 
Lasers are used to clock the speed of 
pitches and runners in the Olympics and 
they can also determine the exact point 
where a ball went foul. Sports medicine, 
which depends on sophisticated elec¬ 
tronic equipment, is rapidly expanding 
our understanding of the body. Baseball 
does not need space-age technology to 
survive, but, like most traditional insti¬ 
tutions, it can adapt. Perhaps an Apple a 
day will keep injuries away. 

Sports software and hardware grows 
increasingly complicated and sensitive. 
Within two years it will be possible to 
plug any player into a sensory network 
using radio telemetry to monitor heart 
rate and measure any number of other 
physical exertions. A team manager on 
the road might have data on his players 
feeding into his wristwatch from a satel¬ 
lite, which would be in communication 
with the Apple and the mainframe back 
home. 

Though some of these ideas are pure 
science fiction, high technology is 
invading baseball, and it’s probably for 
the good of the sport. The computer has 
had a positive influence in other areas of 
modem life, so why not in baseball? The 
sport should not be immune to growth 
and change. 

Technophobes have nothing to fear. 
The post-game bar bet will never die. + 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^59 











































INFORMATION 


The telecommunication 
powers of your Apple 
can cast a spell on 
these on-line 
information services 
that unearth vast 
worlds of facts, 
fun, and 
conversation, 


Reaching out and touching an infor¬ 
mation service with my Apple com¬ 
puter shouldn't appear all that mysti¬ 
cal. I hook up the modem, punch a few 
keys, and I'm on-line. I'm positive the 
whole process is grounded in scientific 
fact. But I'm also sure that once you 
start exploring the array of computer 
services that timesharing networks 
offer, the wealth of information, con¬ 
venience, and enjoy ment will continue 
to amaze you long after you hang up. 













Four services—CompuServe, The 
Source, Knowledge Index, and Biblio¬ 
graphic Retrieval Services (BRS) After 
Dark—cater mainly to personal comput¬ 
er owners and charge fairly low prices 
during evening and weekend hours. A 
fifth service, Dow Jones News/Retriev¬ 
al, is directed primarily toward busi¬ 
nesses, so its rates are higher, but still 
reasonable. Others serve only business 
customers and charge accordingly— 
often more than $100 per hour. 

These five companies offer a variety 
of services for the subscriber. Home 
budgeting, games, stock quotes, ency¬ 
clopedias, news reports, electronic mail, 
and even shopping at home are all avail¬ 
able through the magic of the modem. 

Although all services may be ordered 
directly from the individual companies, 
you can sign up for CompuServe and 
The Source over-the-counter at retail 
computer stores. You can also buy Dow 
Jones’ software programs, which in¬ 
clude access to its News Retrieval ser¬ 
vice, at selected computer stores. 

Since checks seem to be an almost 
unheard-of exchange medium in the 
information business, I suggest you 
ready your credit card. The Source 
reviews your application to determine 
the risk of billing. BRS After Dark 
requires you to establish a one-time, 
$250 noninterest-bearing account before 
it will start billing you. Knowledge 
Index offers only credit-card billing and 
CompuServe charges a fee for direct bill¬ 
ing. Only the Dow Jones service bills 
directly without a fee. In fact, it doesn’t 
even accept credit-card payments. 

Each service charges a registration 
and start-up fee, then supplies you with 
an ID number, password, user’s manual, 
and subscription to newsletters and 
updates. The services’ manuals are 
three-ring, looseleaf notebooks except 
for Dow Jones’, which is a paperback 
book. The manuals provide easy, step- 
by-step instructions on how to access 
and use their service. All are well-writ¬ 
ten, packed with examples, and de¬ 
signed for the telecommunications neo¬ 
phyte. 

Calling on the Services 

All the services can be accessed by 
dialing into either of the local communi¬ 
cations networks—Tymnet or Telenet— 
which in most cases save you long-dis¬ 
tance telephone charges. CompuServe, 
however, operates its own network, 
CompuServe Network Services, and will 
charge extra if you access its services via 
Tymnet or Telenet. 

The Source, CompuServe, and Dow 
Jones can be used 24 hours a day, but 
62 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


their services sometimes may be taken 
off-line for maintenance and updating. 
BRS After Dark is available any day 
from 6 p.m. to midnight (local time). 
Knowledge Index operates from 6 p.m. 
to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 
p.m. to midnight on Friday, 8 a.m. to 
midnight on Saturday, and 3 p.m. to 5 
a.m. on Sunday. 

To gain access (otherwise known as 
logging in) to a service, dial the local 
Tymnet, Telenet, or CompuServe Net¬ 
work phone number, wait for a high- 
pitched tone, and place the receiver into 
the modem. The network will ask you to 
specify a computer terminal type, which 
for most home computer owners will be 
an A for CRT terminals. You then log in 
by typing the name of the service you 
want; for example, KI for Knowledge 
Index. The service will ask for an ID 
number and password. Providing the 
correct information will reward you with 
a welcome message and the log-in time. 
For those who bristle at the thought of 
having yet another number attached to 
their name, the services will allow you to 
change the password into something a 
little more personal, like RUSSELL or 
GANDALF or ABRA*CADABRA. 

Once you’re on-line, a main menu 
appears listing general topics. Selecting 
a topic—for example, 1 HOME SER¬ 
VICES on CompuServe—generates a 
new menu of subtopics. Choosing a sub- 


Like information services, bulletin board 
services (BBS) are accessed over the 
phone lines with a modem. Unlike infor¬ 
mation services, they require no pass¬ 
word, no manuals, and no fees outside 
the cost of a long-distance phone call. 
They are usually run by users groups, 
clubs, and individuals. Some are avail¬ 
able 24 hours a day, but most are not. 
Some BBS can only connect one user at 
a time, so busy signals are common. 

The BBS lack the mystique of the on¬ 
line information services; after all 
they’re mainly electronic message 
boards. Interested computer operators 
dial in and either read or leave news 
items, taunts, or gems of wisdom. I 
placed a call to Ohio into the Apple BBS 
of the Akron Digital Group. While scan¬ 
ning the numerous messages, I came 
across the subject heading “Can beer 
make you smart?’’ I expected a disserta¬ 
tion on the relationship between alcohol 


topic—for instance, 7 GAMES AND 
ENTERTAINMENT—calls up a listing 
of the programs available. Choosing a 
program from this list—for example, I 
ADVENTURE—begins the program. A 
faster method of navigating around tin 
service is to bypass the menus by typing, 
in commands. For example, typing GO 
GAM-11 gets you to the Adventure 
game. Each service supplies an exten 
sive list of commands. The menu-driven 
approach works well, but with an on-line 
meter ticking away, you’ll save time and 
money by learning the commands. 

Before delving into all the electronic 
wonders that the advertising wizards 
promise, check the “latest news’’ sec¬ 
tion—//INTRO in Dow Jones, for 
instance. It describes the service’s new 
features and changes and gives other 
important customer information. 

Dow Jones News/Retrieval 

Dow Jones & Co. Inc., which also 
publishes The Wall Street Journal and 
Barron's , operates the largest of the 
information services, with 85,000 sub¬ 
scribers. As to be expected, Dow Jones 
concentrates on providing a solid selec¬ 
tion of business services. 

The Dow Jones News database pro¬ 
vides business and economic news from 
The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, and 
the Dow Jones News Service (The Broad 
Tape) dating back 90 days. It lists the 
recent articles first and allows you to 


and the right and left hemispheres of the 
brain. But all I got for my request was 
“It made Bud Weiser.’’ 

Some BBS provide more than a mes¬ 
sage service. They offer unprotected 
programs that can be downloaded—that 
is, be read from the BBS’ computer and 
stored on your own disk. Although any 
computer can access a BBS, the pro¬ 
grams they may offer are like regular 
software, which will only work on cer¬ 
tain machines. Sometimes, they don’t 
work at all. I downloaded a terrific clock 
and calendar program that was 2 hours 
slow and 1 day behind. Maybe it missed 
daylight savings time during a leap 
year. 

I liked the Apple BBS of the Akron 
Digital Group. It can be reached by call¬ 
ing (216) 745-7855. This bulletin board 
also listed other BBS and their phone 
numbers. 

— R.S.L. 


► BULLETIN BOARD SERVICES 

Your computer can contact 
electronic bulletin boards with free information, 
messages and jokes. 









































... ill. headlines before selecting sto- 
Hi • .iivhing is accomplished by 

... i company’s stock symbol or 

(In Hitlir.iiy or government code. For a 

.1 1 luglier cost per hour, you can use 

In • i i .carching to find articles dating 
i .. I to 1979. 

'.nmlarly, The Wall Street Journal 
i hi'hliglils database provides summaries 
til ma|or stories appearing in the last five 
. in The Weekly Economic Update 
.la il use gives a review of the week’s top 

..lie news and a glimpse of the 

iih mill ahead. 

I >i >w Jones offers several financial 
mill investment services. The Corporate 
i itmmgs Estimator, compiled by Zacks 
In . tment Research Inc. from the 
H . arch of top analysts at 50 major bro- 
i.ugc firms, provides earnings fore- 
ii'.is for 2,400 of the most widely fol¬ 
lowed companies. Disclosure II holds 
in .1 about everything you ever need to 
know about a publicly held company, 
iik hiding its subsidiaries, 5-year finan- 
■ ml summary, and other information 
1 1 led with the Security and Exchange 
Commission. Media General Financial 
Services offers detailed corporate finan- 
. ml information on 3,200 companies and 
IKO industries, and the Weekly Econom¬ 
ic Survey provides commentary and 
.malysis of current economic trends. 

Dow Jones delivers current and his¬ 
torical quotes on common and preferred 
locks and bonds, mutual funds, and fed- 
i.iI treasury issues and options. Daily, 
monthly, and quarterly Dow Jones aver¬ 
ages for industrials, transportation, utili- 
lics, and 65 stock composites are also 
available. 

Dow Jones also furnishes information 
dial is less business oriented. The service 
oilers general national and international 
news, sports and weather, the Academic 
American Encyclopedia, movie reviews 
dating back to the 1930s, an electronic 
hopping service called Comp-U-Store, 
ami transcripts of Louis Rukeyser’s PBS 
television show, “Wall Street Week.’’ 

< ompuServe 

< onsider CompuServe to be a thick 
. lei Ironic tome designed to keep you 

I*. Ilbound hour after inexpensive hour. 

Iii formation on all subjects (from AMEX 
puce quotes to yachts) by all sources 
ihorn Associated Press to the National 
Well Water Association) appears with 
- iii-li computerized incantation. 

< ompuServe provides general, finan¬ 
ced and sports news from The Washing- 
hm Tost, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 
I hr Middlesex Daily News, and the 
\ -au dited Press. The World Book 
I ih vclopedia is available on-line, as are 


movie and restaurant reviews, airline 
schedules, weather information, com¬ 
puter hardware and software reviews, 
stock reports, a complete guide to wine 
tasting, and many more general refer¬ 
ence sources. And if you can’t pinpoint 
the information you’re seeking, write to 
Aunt Nettie, CompuServe’s on-line 
Dear Abby. She may not be able to tell 
you where to search, but will soothe your 
soul with timeless advice and wisdom. 

CompuServe lists about 40 games, 
most of which are rather simple, but 
some are absolutely frenetic. Megawars 
is a souped-up StarTrek played in real 
time versus real opponents—other Com¬ 
puServe subscribers. You have to be not 
only clever, but dexterous, too. I was hit 
so many times while piloting the starship 
Nimrod that a fellow starship captain 
beamed in a message: U OK? Evidently 
not, for shortly thereafter, the Nimrod 
exploded like a supernova. A more 
sedate challenge is Adventure, a game of 
searching through an underground laby¬ 
rinth to find treasure. This problem-solv¬ 
ing game is already a classic and can eas¬ 
ily become addictive. 


Aunt Nettie, 
CompuServe’s 
on-line Dear Abby, 
will soothe 
your soul with 
timeless advice 
and wisdom. 


CompuServe lists about 50 special 
interest groups (SIGs) that operate over 
the computer lines. Game addicts can 
consult the SIG for games to learn tacti¬ 
cal tips. The SIG for Apple computer 
users, called MAUG, provides a forum 
for trading hardware and software infor¬ 
mation. 

Communication is via CompuServe’s 
electronic mail, which allows you to use 
the computer lines to send private mes¬ 
sages to someone’s ID number. Live 
conversations, in which you’re connect¬ 
ed directly with someone else’s comput¬ 
er, is possible with CB Simulation. Pub¬ 
lic messages can be displayed on the 
National Bulletin Board, which is often 
treated as a swap shop. 

One of the nicest customer support 
services is Feedback, a free, on-line 
message service providing you with the 
opportunity to make suggestions to 
CompuServe, pose questions, report 
problems and order game rulebooks, 
SIG manuals, and other documentation. 


Responses are made via electronic mail, 
usually within 48 hours. 

The Source 

The Source can also be thought of as a 
thick, electronic tome packed with the 
same general information and communi¬ 
cation and entertainment services as 
CompuServe, only it costs more. You 
can access CompuServe on apprentice’s 
pay, but for The Source, you need the 
salary of, well, a sorcerer. 

The Source is likely to enchant you 
upon first glance. Its manual is well 
organized, descriptive, and attractive, 
and the meticulous instructions and 
examples make everything crystal-ball 
clear. The computer commands are in 
English, not runes, and the entire system 
is as user-friendly as a guardian angel. 

One feature of The Source that could 
be helpful to job seekers is a career net¬ 
work called Employ, which is like a 
Help Wanted section in a newspaper. 

(As could be expected, it listed plenty of 
opportunities for computer program¬ 
mers, but none for writers.) 

The Source also offers a network 
called Barter, which allows users to 
exchange goods and services; also an 
electronic bulletin board called Post, 
which does about the same thing. The 
Source provides an incredibly easy-to- 
use electronic mail service called Mail, 
and a live conversation service called 
Chat. 

The Source’s game selection is simi¬ 
lar to CompuServe’s, but it does not 
have Megawars. Like CompuServe, it 
has StarTrek, Adventure, expanded Ad¬ 
venture, and Hunt the Wumpus, a chil¬ 
dren’s version of Adventure. Unlike 
CompuServe, it has a very serious and 
thorough I Ching fortune-telling pro¬ 
gram. 

Knowledge Index 

Knowledge Index is like a wizard’s 
convention—it concentrates the wisdom 
of the ages within the space of one room. 

This powerful research tool is the off¬ 
spring of Dialog, one of the over-$100- 
per-hour databases. 

Knowledge Index contains 18 differ¬ 
ent databases, including three on com¬ 
puters and electronics. Inspec, produced 
by the Institution of Electrical Engineers 
in London, contains abstracts from 
2,300 journals, conference proceedings, 
technical reports, and books. Interna¬ 
tional Software Database describes 
11,000 microcomputer and minicomput¬ 
er programs. Microcomputer Index pro¬ 
vides abstracts from over 40 popular 
microcomputer publications. 

Corporate News, produced by Stan¬ 
dard & Poor’s News, offers tabular 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^63 














► INFORMATION SERVICES AT A GLANCE 



CompuServe 

The 

Source 

Knowledge 

Index 

Dow 

Jones 

BRS 

After Dark 

Registration 

$40 

$100 

$35 

$50 


Free Hours 
with Regist. 

5 

0 

2 

0 

0 

Cost Per Hr. 
Weekday 3 

300 baud 

$22.50 

$20.75 

No 

$36-$72 

No 

1200 baud 

$35.00 

$25.75 

Service 

$72-$144 

Service 

Evening 5 

300 baud 

$ 5.00 

$ 7.75 

$24 

$ 9-$54 

$ 6-$ 16.50 

1200 baud 

$17.50 

$10.75 

$24 

$18—$128 

$ 6-$16.50 

Graveyard 0 

300 baud 

$ 5.00 

$ 5.75 

$24 

$ 9-$54 

No 

1200 baud 

$17.50 

$ 8.75 

$24 

$18-$128 

Service 

Extra Costs 
for some 

Services? 

Yes 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

Minimum 

Monthly Charges 

None 

$10 

None 

None 

$12 

Monthly Memory 
Storage Costs 

128K 

$ 0 

$15.80 

No 

No 

No 

256K 

$32 

$27.15 

Service 

Service 

Service 

Billing 

Credit Card 

M/V 

M/V/AE 

M/V/AE 

None 

M/V 

Direct 

$42/yr. 

None 

None 

Free 

$250 acct. 

Toll-Free 

Customer 

Hotline? 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 


a Weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time) Monday through Friday. 
b Evenings 6 p.m. to midnight weekdays, and all weekends, and designated holi¬ 
days. 

c Midnight-7 a.m. daily. 

M: Mastercard. V: Visa. AE: American Express. 


information on over 9,000 publicly held 
U.S. companies. Business Information, 
by Data Courier Inc., discusses all 
aspects of business management and 
administration. 

General news appears in Newsearch, 
which summarizes 1,100 newspapers, 
magazines, and journals, and in Maga¬ 
zine Index, which abstracts 435 popular 
American magazines. Government 
News lists documents currently for sale 
by the U.S. Government Printing Office 
and also indexes federally produced 
research and technical reports. 

Other databases cover education, 
psychology, engineering, medicine, 
pharmacology, agriculture, and books in 
print. 

Knowledge Index is the simplest sys¬ 
tem to learn and operate. All commands 
are in English, even if some of the 
abstracts are not. For example, in the 
Agriculture database, the first abstract 
under “Geese” describes the secretory 
function of the pancreas in geese (feed¬ 
ing experiments). The text of the abstract 
starts like this: “Ratsional’noe kormle- 
nie osnova povysheniia. ...” The lan¬ 
guage? Russian. 

Knowledge Index is adding three 
more databases for trade and industry, 
the legal field, and biology. These addi¬ 
tions will increase the total number of 
citations contained in all the databases to 
about 15 million. 

BRS After Dark 

BRS After Dark, an evening offshoot 
of the daytime Bibliographic Retrieval 
Services, is another brew of reference 
databases offering abstracts of articles. 
Although its corporate symbol is the 
night owl, users should prepare to be ear¬ 
ly birds: BRS After Dark does not offer 
any service past the witching hour. 

BRS After Dark provides many of the 
same services as Knowledge Index, but 
at half the cost per hour. The agriculture, 
biology, pharmacology, business man¬ 
agement and administration, medicine, 
government-produced technical reports, 
books in print, education, and psycholo¬ 
gy databases are exactly the same. 

In addition, BRS After Dark offers 
other interesting and innovative data¬ 
bases. Patdata holds information about 
all patents registered with the U.S. 
Patent Office since 1975, including a 
description of what the patented object 
actually does. Family Resources, pro¬ 
duced by The National Council on Fam¬ 
ily Relations, abstracts articles concern¬ 
ing marriage and family relations. PAIS, 
produced by the Public Affairs Informa¬ 
tion Service, indexes articles from all 
areas in the social sciences. 

644 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


However, BRS After Dark virtually 
ignores general information. It has noth¬ 
ing comparable to any of the other ser¬ 
vices and certainly not to Knowledge 
Index’s extensive Newsearch. BRS Af¬ 
ter Dark tends to ignore information 
about computers, too. Its DISC, which 

Although its 
corporate 
symbol is 
the night owl, 

BRS After Dark does 
not offer any 
service past the 
witching hour. 

contains only the table of contents of 
microcomputer magazines, pales next to 
Knowledge Index’s three extensive com¬ 
puter-oriented databases. 


BRS After Dark also suffers from a 
higher than average number of typos. 
It’s not BRS’ fault, but rather the fault of 
the individual databases. BRS serves 
primarily as a conduit of information and 
cannot exercise editorial control over the 
content. However, these typos leave a 
general impression of haste and sloppi- 
ness. 

BRS After Dark plans to add 
communications services starting with 
an on-line electronic newsletter. A bulle¬ 
tin board, listing computer hardware and 
software for sale or swap, and an elec¬ 
tronic mail system are scheduled to start 
operating. 

Rates and Charges 

So what does all this electronic necro¬ 
mancy cost? If you use the services judi¬ 
ciously, a reasonable amount. If you 
don’t, plenty. 

Dow Jones News/Retrieval costs $50 
for registration and from $9 to $54 per 
hour, depending on which service you 
use. Connections to its News, The Wall 































(Hm* /• 'hi mil Highlights, and Weekly 

I... Update cost $12 per hour; 

fh» i «i • inching for news costs $36 
l|fi In mi l *ow Jones charges $9 per hour 

I..I quotes and $18 per hour for 

I gfrH. i .1 news, sports and weather, the 
tu « Inju-dia, movie reviews, “Wall 
I Mn • i Week” transcripts, and shopping 
IP'vi» ■ Its Corporate Earnings Estima- 
I imi I >im losure II, and other financial 
<ti.I ... . stment services cost a whopping 
I V i | " i hour. Disclosure II also carries a 
V surcharge for each company you 
h 111 it ,t. Double these rates if you use a 
.I. hi at 1200-baud. During the prime 

i r nine periods, rates run from $36 to 
' ' ’ per hour. 

» ompuServe charges a $40 registra- 
tii mi Ice and $5 per hour; it is the least 
pensive of all the services. Registra- 

.. includes 5 free hours on the service. 

.. of the financial services have a 

tu charge attached to them. Using a 
I *00 baud modem will escalate the rate 
in $ 17.50 per hour. Prime daytime usage 
I h $22.50 per hour with a 300-baud mod- 

• m. $35 per hour with a 1200-baud mod¬ 
i' i (’ompuServe charges an extra $2 per 

ii'inprime hour and $10 per prime day- 
i"lie hour if you log in via Tymnet or 
1.1cnet rather than its own network. 

• onipuServe charges an excessive $42 
! • i year for direct billing, but does not 

I urge a monthly minimum. Compu- 
•i'ivc gives 128K of storage space free 
mil charges $4 per week for each add- 
ifinal 64K, 

The Source has an exorbitant $100 

ii gistration fee and costs $7.75 per hour 
horn 6:00 P.M. to midnight and $5.75 

1 I mm midnight to 7:00 A.M. Add $3 per 
j hour for 1200-baud service. Prime day¬ 
time usage costs $20.75 per hour for 
100 baud, $25.75 per hour for 1200- 
haud service. The Source charges a $10- 
I- i month minimum. Storage rates de- 
i >. i k I on size, but 128K costs $15.80 per 
month and 256K, $27.15 per month. 
Some financial services cost $14.75 per 
hour during evenings and $9.75 per hour 
!mm midnight to 7:00 A.M. Add $5 per 
li<*m for 1200-baud service. Prime day- 
iimr service costs $29.75 per hour for 

100 baud modems and $34.75 per hour 

101 1200-baud modems. 

Knowledge Index charges a $35 reg- 

• 1 1 .if ion fee and a flat $24 per hour. Reg- 

• nation includes 2 free hours on the ser- 
Vlce, Knowledge Index does not charge 

11 ,i for 1200-baud service and does not 

• Imi gc a monthly minimum. 

It IKS After Dark charges $50 for reg- 

• nation and from $6 to $16.50 per hour, 
i- 1 'ending on the database. BRS After 
Kill does not charge extra for 1200- 


baud service, but does charge a $12-per- 
month minimum. 

Reflections on Electronic Magic 
Even after learning their price, I still 
say these services contain powerful mag¬ 
ic. Merlin himself could not call up the 
collective wisdom of millions of pieces 
of information within a few seconds, or 
allow thousands to communicate coast to 
coast. A modem and a password turn 
your computer into a powerful research 
tool, communications hub, and enter¬ 
tainment gizmo. 

But unless a budding alchemist has 
discovered the secret of turning lead into 
gold, these services could empty your 
wallet while enriching your mind. 
Choosing which service to use depends 
on your purpose. 

Businesspeople and investors can do 
no wrong by signing up for Dow Jones 
News/Retrieval. They’d find that not 
only does it provide timely business and 
financial news—the high price per hour 
is essentially tax deductible. 

CompuServe and The Source are like 
newspapers and telephones. Many of 

►SERVICE INFORMATION 

The following information services are 
mentioned in this article. Please 
contact them for further deails. 

Bibliographic Retrieval Services 
1200 Route 7 
Latham, NY 12110 
(800) 833-4707 


CompuServe Inc. 

Subsidiary of H&R Block Co. 
5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. 
Columbus, OH 43220 
(800) 848-8990 


Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service 
Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co., Inc. 
P.O. Box 300 
Princeton, NJ 08540 
(800) 257-5114 


Knowledge Index 

Service of Dialog Information Services 
Inc. 

Subsidiary of Lockheed Aircraft Corp. 
3460 Hill view Ave. 

Palo Alto, CA 94304 
(800) 227-5510 


Source Telecomputing Corp. 

Subsidiary of The Reader’s Digest Asso¬ 
ciation, Inc. 

1616 Anderson Rd. 

McLean, VA 22102 
(800) 336-3366 


their features can be found on the front 
page, sports page, puzzle page, and in 
the yellow pages. They also give you 
access to a town library—not very large 
or extensive, but adequate through high 
school. Chatting over the computer lines 
is interesting, but I think Ma Bell or MCI 
is livelier and cheaper. 

In a contest between CompuServe 
and The Source, I’d recommend Com¬ 
puServe. The Source charges more for 
the same services and has a monthly 
minimum billing. I personally feel that a 
monthly minimum somehow indicates a 
company’s lack of confidence that the 
customer will be satisfied enough to con¬ 
tinue using the service. 

If CompuServe and The Source are 
town libraries, then BRS After Dark is a 
county library and Knowledge Index a 
university library. BRS After Dark and 
Knowledge Index do not offer 
communications or games yet, but they 
do have a wealth of information. 
Although they have some services in 
common, BRS After Dark seems to 
emphasize the sciences and education, 
while Knowledge Index concentrates on 
computers, business, and general infor¬ 
mation. The key to using these two ref¬ 
erence services is to plan ahead. You can 
save time and money by narrowing your 
search before logging in. Remember, 
these reference services only provide 
summaries of articles and publications. 
Their value is in identifying sources, not 
in providing full texts. Although you still 
must do the legwork at the library, the 
services at least provide an excellent 
jumping-off point for research. 

In a contest between BRS After Dark 
and Knowledge Index, I’d give the edge 
to Knowledge Index. Even though it 
costs about twice as much per hour, it 
offers the types of information home 
computer operators can use most. BRS 
After Dark could do much better by 
offering a more diversified selection of 
databases—and by dropping its monthly 
minimum. 

I’m not Nostradamus, but let me offer 
some predictions. Hooking up to an 
information service will someday be as 
common as hooking up to Ma Bell. The 
best students will be the best information 
managers. New competitors and a larger 
base of customers will drive the price per 
hour down. Are these flights of fantasy? 
I think not. All things are possible 
through the magic of the modem. + 

Editor's note: New on-line services are 
coming out every day. Upcoming issues 
of A + will include information on these 
services. 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^65 





















Satisfying Over 

With Innovation 





»fj 

y%/'M 

^ f J 


^jfjn 

k V|i 

o 

\ i 

fOHWi 1 

1 / 





E3EC * 




Grapple! + 

Printer Interface 

The Original Apple® graphics printer interface. 
Since its introduction three years ago, the 
Grappler has been imitated by many, but never 
matched. Now with Dual Hi-Res Graphics for side 
by side reproductions and Mixed 
Mode screen dump¬ 
ing, the Grappler + 
remains the most 
intelligent interface 
available. Over two 
dozen commands 
give Apple users full control over any graphics or 
text on the Apple screen, including a new 80 
column text dump. Performance, reliability and 
support have made the Grappler + the #1 selling 
intelligent Apple interface. 





For Apples and Printers 



The economical way to add printer buffering. The 
Bufferboard easily adds memory to your current 
Apple interface system, freeing your computer for 
additional input. Easily upgradable from 16K, the 
Bufferboard can store up to 20 pages of text. It 
fits neatly inside your Apple, “docking” onto your 
existing printer interface* No clumsy boxes or 
cables, no external power supplies.. .just conve¬ 
nience and 
economy. With 
the Bufferboard, 
you might never 
wait for your 
printer again. 


'Versions for standard Grappler +, Epson APL and Apple 
Parallel Interfaces. 





































V 


Owners 



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—— 1 —i 


Grappler + 

The most sophisticated buffered Apple printer 
interface available. The New Buffered Grappler + 
combines the industry leading features of the 
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With this much interface power, you’ll never need 
• inything else. And the price will surprise you, too. 

Not available for IDS printers. 

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computers, Inc. 


Over 90,000 Apple computers are using Orange 
Micro products. Innovation and excellence have 
made us the #1 manufacturer of intelligent printer 
interfaces. The top selling Grappler + has 
become an industry standard, recommended by 
more software houses and Apple dealers. To 
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There is an Orange Micro product designed for 
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For a complete demonstration, see your Apple 
dealer today. 

||Orange micro 

1400 N. Lakeview Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 U.S.A. 
(714) 779-2772 TELEX: 183511 CSMA 

©Orange Micro, Inc., 1983 

CIRCLE 130 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

















































►APPLICATIONS/BY CRAIG CALSBEEK 


I 

ELEMENTARY GRAPHICS 

An Illustrator’s Foray Into the World 
of Graphics. 



With the vast amount of hardware and 
software now available, the personal 
computer has many uses. It is a word 
processor, an accountant, an electronic 
file cabinet—and it can even treat you to 
a rousing game of Zaxxon. Yet despite 
its down-to-earth functions, computers 
684 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


tend to intimidate the uninitiated. 

I have found that color graphics ease 
some of the fear the first-time user has 
when approaching this newly ubiquitous 
feature of everyday life. The comforting 
glow from the screen, so similar to the 
very familiar television set, can be a link 


between you and this often-misunder¬ 
stood machine. 

Apple Computer, under the direction 
of Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs, 
foresaw the great importance these fea¬ 
tures would have in making the comput¬ 
er accessible to the home and small-busi- 




































































































n. s market. They were the first to offer 
ii personal computer with color capabili- 
11 * They were right, and their computer 
limy he the second-most-influential ap- 
l'l. m history. 

The development of color graphics is 
.mm* of the main reasons for the over¬ 


whelming popularity of video games in 
the last couple of years. The intense col¬ 
ors and designs, enveloping sound, and 
spine-tingling situations make a visit to a 
video arcade a hypnotic experience. 

Most of the technology that now 
allows people to draw pictures was 


developed by the Defense Department 
under the auspices of the U.S. govern¬ 
ment. The technology evolved as a train¬ 
ing aid for the testing of subjects in sim¬ 
ulated war maneuvers. The project was 
called Sketchpad, and it was installed 
under a military contract at the Lincoln 

A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^69 

























































Laboratory at M.I.T. in Boston. It used 
the facility’s TX-2 computer, a cathode 
ray tube (CRT) display, and another 
development, the light pen. Ivan Suther¬ 
land’s software created a powerful engi¬ 
neering design tool. 

Until recently, exorbitant prices have 
704 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


limited color graphics technology to 
large corporations and institutions like 
the military. But now the rapid evolution 
of hardware, software, and complete 
graphics systems is revolutionizing the 
entire graphics arts industry. New devel¬ 
opments are making possible the cre¬ 


ation of graphics by artists, students, 
business people, architects, and engi¬ 
neers at modest costs. 

As a commercial artist, I spend much 
of my time formulating concepts for dif¬ 
ferent projects. I present pencil or mark¬ 
er comps to the client for discussion and 




























































































fh«ro is more room for experimentation and a wider scope of choices. 



npproval. This means physically creat- 
iii)' mock-ups of finished products like 
It*}»os, brochures, advertisements, or 
• 11 u si rations. Extreme schedule con- 
.n lints and tight deadlines force me to 
ii .< my time judiciously. 

My ideas are more quickly realized 


with the aid of a computer. I’ve found 
there is more room for experimentation 
and a wider scope of choices. Since the 
images can be stored at any time during 
the creative process and easily recalled, 
there is less possibility of wasting time 
on one image, only to have to go back 


and start over. 

The idea that artists are intimidated by 
technology is slowly fading, as knowl¬ 
edge replaces misinformation. The intro¬ 
duction of the camera in the nineteenth 
century worried some artists. They 
thought the new image-producing won- 

A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^71 



































der would end their commissions. It did 
not. Instead the camera had a profound 
impact on the expansion of the graphic 
arts. The integration of the computer— 
like the camera years ago—into the 
graphic arts industry as a fully produc¬ 
tive and accepted tool is inevitable. 
Uses of Computer Graphics 

Computer graphics are solving the 
problems facing engineering and archi¬ 
tectural firms. Computer-aided drafting/ 
design and computer-aided manufactur¬ 
ing (CAD/CAM) systems were some of 
the first uses of the computer in a cre¬ 
ative environment in the 1960s and 
1970s. Although these systems were 
powerful and sophisticated, they were 
limited to large corporations and institu¬ 
tions. With these systems the designer 
can actively participate in the creation of 

^ The computer has 
become the star of 
trade shows and is 
a logical choice for 
training films, 
because it can 
illustrate difficult 
ideas visually, step- 
by-step. 

a drawing. Electronic, automobile, and 
product design are a few of the available 
applications. 

The business graphics field is being 
revolutionized by the new technology. 
In 1982 experts estimated that the mar¬ 
ketplace bought $500 million worth of 
business graphics. Industry watchers 
indicate that this figure will increase to 
over $6 billion by 1990. 

The computer has become the star of 
trade shows and is a logical choice for 
training films, because it can illustrate 
difficult ideas visually, step-by-step. 
Graphics have also become an asset in 
the production of training aids, sales pre¬ 
sentations, and product demonstra¬ 
tions. 

With the proliferation of computer 
and software manufacturers, costs are 
coming down. Educational institutions 
have received the benefits of this devel¬ 
opment, as more and more schools and 
universities try to make their students 
“computer literate.” Now students are 
being trained on the equipment they will 
use when they graduate, and the need for 
more educational material is rapidly 
expanding. 

72 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


Through the media, computer graph¬ 
ics have invaded our cultural and person¬ 
al environments. Television graphics, 
commercials, and magazine advertise¬ 
ments rely heavily on these flashy neon¬ 
like images. In publishing, Time maga¬ 
zine is experimenting with a system that 
will allow art directors and editors to 
assemble words and images electronical¬ 
ly on a video monitor at their desks for 
later transmission to the printer miles 
away. 

The need for special effects in motion 
pictures has created a group of wizards 
who blend computer-generated images 
with live action to advance the ‘ ‘credibil¬ 
ity” of modern-day fiction. JEX FX of 
San Rafael, California, used an Apple 
and a Gibson Light Pen to create 
unearthly images. A five-watt argon 
laser was used to create the liquid effects 
for “Star Trek I,” “Raiders of the Lost 
Ark,” and “Poltergeist.” 

For the cloud effect, the desired 
movement is first drawn with the pen on 
the video monitor and then stored to 
disk. With a program written by Gary 
Leo, the Apple is coupled with the laser 
motion control, and the pattern is then 
played back directly into the camera to 
be filmed. The laser beam can be mixed 
with a variety of gasses and dyes to 
produce any color in the spectrum. The 
results are stunning. Headed by Gary 
Platek, JEX FX has assembled a crew 
whose credits include “Star Wars,” 
“Return of the Jedi,” “E.T.,” “The 
China Syndrome,” and “Dragon- 
slayer.” 

To date, the most extensive use of 
computer-generated images in a motion 
picture has been in the film “Tron.” Its 
crisp, geometric world was produced 
with state-of-the-art computers to give 
us images that the advertisements prom¬ 
ised would remind us of something we 
had never seen before. You can’t sit 
down with an Apple and get those kind 
of graphics . . . yet. 

Patrice Wagner, associate editor of 
Computer Graphics World magazine, 
considers computer graphics the first art 
form that combines the talents of artists 
and scientists. She thinks the concur¬ 
rence of art and science is rare in history, 
and that the results should prove excit¬ 
ing. Under her direction, Computer 
Graphics World has devoted space to the 
microcomputer and its graphic advance¬ 
ments. There is also a monthly Gallery 
section, highlighting computer artists 
and their work. 

Configuration of Hardware 

There are far more sophisticated com¬ 
puter systems than the ones I am about to 


discuss. These graphic workstation 
however, can range in price from 
$10,000 to over $100,000. The majni 
advantages of the larger systems, asi»l« 
from more computing power, are largel 
storage spaces, better image resolution 
and an extremely fast speed of function 
The disadvantages are that these systems 
are specialized in their functions, requm 
a tremendous amount of knowledge to 
operate them, and are expensive. Com 
plicated systems have complicated, cost 
ly problems. Also, because so many 
manufacturers are entering the field, it is 
difficult to predict which ones will 
remain over the long run to back up then 
products. 

To start, you need an Apple II, II + , oi 
lie with at least 48K of RAM. I will he 
limiting the scope of this discussion to 
these computers. The Apple is capable 
of producing low- and high-resolution 
graphics unassisted by outside software, 
but I won’t go into detail here. (Refer to 
your Apple tutorials if you’re interested 
in exploring the subject.) 

Built-in high-resolution graphics are 
available only in Applesoft. The Apple 
II + and lie have Applesoft built-in, and 
the Apple II requires an Applesoft firm 
ware card or Apple language card. There 
are no intrinsic commands of this kind in 
BASIC. With any language you use on 
the Apple, the capability for high-resolu- 
tion graphics exists. 

You will need at least one 5.25 disk 
drive with a 16-sector controller card. A 
second disk drive is recommended, not 
only for general uses but for storage 
retrieval as well. Although a color mon¬ 
itor is preferred, a television set can be 
adapted with a simple switch. 

^The integration 
of the computer into 
the graphic arts 
industry as a fully 
productive and 
accepted tool is 
inevitable. 

A graphics tablet is an electronic 
drawing board. Game paddles or a joy¬ 
stick can be used, but a graphics tablet 
has its own interface card and allows 
more control. 

The Apple Graphics Tablet was intro 
duced in 1979, and an updated version is 
on its way. The tablet is a square, flat 
device that converts the position and 
movement of its spring-loaded pen into 





























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numbers the computer can understand 
and manipulate. 

A strange eye-hand coordination 
problem occurs in the beginning for 
users unfamiliar with working flat on the 
tablet and seeing the results on the 
screen. It takes getting used to, but 
becomes second nature with practice. 
Software is supplied with the tablet, and 
most of the more sophisticated graphics 
software are, in fact, best used with the 
aid of the tablet. The Apple Graphics 
Tablet and some of the better digitizers 
on the market range in price fom $500 to 
$1,000. If this price range is not within 
your budget, never fear. 

Koala Technologies Corporation of 
Los Altos, California, has developed a 
low-cost touch tablet called the Ko- 
alapad Touch Tablet. This hand-held 
unit is small and light-weight. With the 
accompanying software, The Micro- 
Illustrator, written by Steve Dompier, it 
serves as a sketchpad. The user draws on 
the chalkboard-like surface with a finger 
or stylus. 

A software menu is provided to help 
the user to select points, lines, circles, 
and rectangles as well as colors and 
“paint brushes” to create images on the 
screen. It also functions as a game con¬ 
troller and, with custom overlays, can be 
programmed to be a custom keyboard for 
combinations of characters and graphics. 
The Koalapad is expected to expand 
computer-generated graphics to personal 
computers. It’s a bargain at $125. 

The Gibson Light Pen is a high-reso- 
lution light pen system that lets you real¬ 
ize your images on the monitor by draw¬ 
ing directly on the screen. Developed by 
Gibson Laboratories in Laguna Hills, 
California, the pen comes with an inter¬ 
face card and software that allow it to 
perform many of the same functions as a 
graphics tablet. The heart of the system 
is PenTrak, a powerful machine lan¬ 
guage driver that allows individuals to 
write their own programs to enhance the 
built-in functions. The Gibson Light Pen 
costs $350. 

Software 

Apple has increased the variety of 
software available to both amateurs and 
professionals. Most of the software is 
menu driven. Users can select a function 
by placing the cursor over the desired 
listed item with the pen or joystick and 
pressing down. Menus are sometimes 
three and four layers thick, consisting of 
options that can slow the process—but 
which provide quite a selection. 

Some of the current software offers 
the user a visual treat with the manipula¬ 
tion modes that are available. Loaded 
74 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


with a full set of brushes and an option to 
design your own, programs can store 
images on a separate disk for later 
recall. 

The brush functions include such 
words as smear, airbrush, finger paint, 
and pixel dry brush. The working area is 
called the canvas. The choice of words is 
an obvious attempt to bring the language 
of computer graphics closer to the realm 
of traditional art. 

These programs also allow you to 
create pie charts and graphs, insert text, 
paint with letters and numbers, and dig¬ 
itize for area and distance. They include 
a function to store pictures. 

Another form of graphic input is vid¬ 
eo digitizing. By placing copy on a flat 

t Many 

manufacturers are 
developing entire 
systems using the 
Apple as the base 
for performing 
functions that were 
once the domain 
only of the larger 
systems. 

surface and pointing a video camera 
down at the image, the computer 
changes the video camera input into a 
form the computer can understand. Col¬ 
ors can be manipulated to extraordinary 
effects. 

Prints and Printers 

Once you and the Apple have created 
your masterpiece, the simplest technique 
to save it for posterity is to photograph 
the scene directly from the screen. 
Although this method has its drawbacks, 
people have had good results, and you 
may want to try it. The slide can be eas¬ 
ily projected once the image is in 35mm 
slide form. 

There are expensive computer cam¬ 
eras that can produce high-quality 35mm 
slides or instant prints. Designed to 
interface with most computers, these 
light-weight portable devices produce an 
image directly from your terminal. The 
display quality is excellent. 

If you want to videotape your graph¬ 
ics, there are companies that make video 
boards. A video board cleans up the sig¬ 
nal from the Apple before reproducing 
the images on videotape. 

A myriad of printers are out on the 
market. A printer with graphics capabil¬ 


ities can serve as a satisfying way to 
make hard copies of your work, whethci 
for presentation or for reproduction. 

The image produced with black and 
white dot matrix or letter-quality printers 
is composed of graphic symbols. By 
overlapping and varying the density of 
these symbols, you can create values ol 
black, thus simulating the original. 

Color printers come in many forms. 
There are multicolor pen plotters, and 
ink-jet and impact printers. Most of 
these printers are extremely expensive 
and are difficult to interface with the 
Apple at this time. 

Many manufacturers are developing 
entire systems using the Apple as the 
base for performing functions that were 
once the domain only of the larger sys¬ 
tems. T&W Systems in Huntington 
Beach, California, is offering a CAD/ 
CAM system for the Apple II family 
called the CAD APPLE. It provides com¬ 
puter-aided drafting for the architectural, 
civil, mechanical, electrical, and graphic 
arts industries. 

The CADAPPLE is used to create 
drawings using a tablet, a joystick, or the 
keyboard for input, and an X-Y plotter 
for output on bond, vellum, or mylar. It 
is menu driven and features a “help” 
function, which displays a condensed 
portion of the reference manual on the 
screen for easy understanding. 

All the basic geometric shapes are 
provided and text can be placed on the 
drawing for identification and labeling. 
Individual objects can be moved, cop¬ 
ied, rotated, scaled, and deleted simply 
by touching the object with the cursor. 
All the levels of an architectural draw¬ 
ing, for example, can be stored and dis¬ 
played separately or together (i.e., floor 
plan, electrical wiring, air-conditioning, 
etc.). The entire system can also be 
speeded up to make it more competitive 
with larger systems. The package, which 
includes four diskettes, all the reference 
manuals, and the CADAPPLE interface 
card, costs about $2,000. 

One of the drawbacks of using per¬ 
sonal computers in the production of 
graphics in the past was their low image 
resolution. Now the hardware available 
can increase the resolution dramatically, 
and the quality is much closer to that oi 
an expensive work station. 

Visual Data Enterprises of Los Ange¬ 
les, headed by Nick Pavlovic, chairman 
of the Los Angeles chapter of ACM Sig- 
Graph, has developed the V Series of 
high-resolution graphics software using 
the Number Nine Graphics System. The 
system is for high-quality, relatively 
low-cost graphic capabilities. It doubles 


































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The SYSTEM SAVER provides es- 
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.md spikes. 



Fbr Cooling 

As soon as you add 80 columns or 
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need SYSTEM SAVER. 

Today's advanced peripheral 
cards generate more heat. In addi¬ 
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high temperature conditions that 
substantially reduce the life of the 
cards and the computer itself. 


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SYSTEM SAVER contains two 
switched power outlets. As shown 
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SAVER efficiently organizes your 
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power switch 
controls SYSTEM 
SAVER, Apple E, 
monitor and printer. 




By connecting the Apple II 
I >ower input through the SYSTEM 
SAVER, power is controlled in two 
ways: 1) Dangerous voltage spikes 
■ ire chpped off at a safe 130 Volts 
KMS/175 Volts dc level. 2) High fre- 
i inency noise is smoothed out be¬ 
ll ire reaching the Apple E. A PI type 
I liter attenuates common mode 
noise signals by a minimum of 
I •<) dB from 600 khz to 20 mhz, with 
• i maximum attenuation of 50 dB. 


SYSTEM SAVER provides cor¬ 
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For Those Who Seek. 



Bible study aids from Bible Research 
Systems include the com' 
plete KJV Bible text on 
disks. THE WORD pro- 
cessor can search the 
Scriptures for any word or 
phrase. Any portion of the 
Bible can be printed or 
displayed. Create your own 
library of research materials 
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TOPICS contains cross-reference indexes on over 200 
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Bible Research Systems applies computer technology 
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the line resolution to 512 x 512 anil 
expands to sixteen colors using the NEC 1 
CDC 128K board, which also increases 
the memory storage capacity. This high 
resolution system costs $895. 

A series of software packages is sold 
and packaged individually. VP AIN I', 
written by Barry Wood, is a menu-driv 
en painting program that allows the user 
to paint with a brush, airbrush, and draw 
or sketch. It has the functions and feel of 
a more expensive system and the color 
manipulation is remarkable. VTYPE, 
written by Alan Somen, is a high-resolu- 
tion font/shape generator and test writer. 
VSCAN, written by Eric Popejoy, is a 

t Wozniak’s 
r computer 
may be 

the second-most- 
influential apple in 
history. 

high-resolution camera digitizing pack¬ 
age. VPRINT, written by Joe Silva, is a 
picture printing system for black-and- 
white and color printers. All the pro¬ 
grams can be run through a reasonably 
priced RGB monitor, which provides 
excellent color and resolution and uses 
an Apple Graphics Tablet for input. This 
is the most impressive system for the 
Apple I have seen. 

We are in the midst of a technological 
revolution. Sales of personal computers 
are expected to triple to $5 billion this 
year and $7.5 billion the next. The atten¬ 
tion the personal computer has received 
for its graphic capabilities has been over¬ 
whelming and is certainly a clue to the 
diversity we can expect in the future. 

Next month I will be reporting on 
some of the best graphics-producing 
software available for your Apple. Some 
of the products are currently on the mar¬ 
ket, and others are just around the 
comer. + 


A native of Los Angeles, California, 
Craig Calsbeek is a graduate of the Art 
Center College of Design and has 
worked as a freelance illustrator since 
1976. His award-winning work has 
appeared in numerous magazines and on 
book covers and record jackets, and he 
has done work for major advertising 
agencies. As a principal in Nexus 
Graphics, a graphic design firm based in 
Los Angeles, he divides his time between 
illustration assignments and various de¬ 
sign projects. 


76 < A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 





















































CUT TAXES • CONTROL EXPENSES • SAVE ON ACCOUNTING 



CHECKBOOK FINANCIAL SYSTEM 

For Apple® II, II +, lie. III emulation, and Apple look-alikes - 48K DOS 3.3 


724 SOLD 

ONLY 7 RETURNED! 


.i»tounded! When we offered Money 

Hit "i uith «i money back guarantee, we figured 
i| lie would be returned. That's normal. 

Mm* mu returns run less than one percent! What's 
customers write enthusiastic letters daily 
Money Street. For example: 

• iImm Modkin, president of Oklahoma City Apple 

1 »u. ( iroup: “Tremendous! It's fast, reliable and 
Hvnis all the contingencies a checkbook 
Minim should." 

• Inis Rayha, Portland, OR: “I use it for my rental 

•i Mirties and for my business. It performs 
iHinutifully and is a great value." 

• "ml homas, Elgin, IL: "The program has proved 
II hi hype of the Money Street as really too 

.dost. How many programs are there that you 

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.mason for this enthusiasm is that Money Street 

• • ii*.turners do their own books. Keeping records 
. • always been a bother, and an expensive one, 

..illy for small one-person business or the 

l»»|M)ndent professional. But Money Street solves 
problem. Here's what Weston Cotten of 
Muitilunds, Texas says: 

Uni .in attorney with several business interests I 
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fltyi my checkbook to keep my financial records in 
#t*|in for tax time. Your program has helped me to 
. hotter record keeper and has allowed me to 
i lurward to tax time with a better outlook." 

*i»u For a checkbook program? Money 
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..I >ook programs. But with software, as with 

mything else, you get what you pay for: 

- Money Street is fast! Example: 9 seconds from 
hoot to data entry. Example: 5 seconds from the 
miiin menu to any sub-section. Example: 18 
.*• ends start-up-to print time. 

• M» ii ley Street is easy to use! There are no 

• .mplex set-ups; no monthly cut off. Gary 
Mumingerof Sacramento, CA wrote: "Your 
him of 30 minutes to learn it is fully justified." 

M. it my Street saves income taxes! It tracks 
i- dilutions, credits, and income. Michael Salesin 

• •! West Bloomfield, Ml wrote: "When next 
ymif's tax season rolls around my accountant will 
..ini love and kisses." 

money eight ways: 

i i it n Is tax deductions and credits. 

• ■ mmCPA write-up fees. 

Allows "before year-end" tax planning. 

I llvns accounting time; provides input for 
jMiimals, ledgers, and reports. The program also 
iMiihhsasa mini-accounts receivable, inventory 
‘••I mi, and job cost system. 

nviiN interest expense by keeping exact 
!• dm tees. 

i » '.*•. NSF charges. 

. . credit card interest charges. 

• i. «»m|. your financial attitudes; puts you in 
..ulrol 


Who can use it? Anyone using a checkbook: 
Lawyers, investors, doctors, general partners, 
professionals, srtiall business, mini-corporations. It's 
ideal for people with multiple sources of income, 
trustee accounts, pension and profit sharing plans, 
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Take farmers, for example: they can treat each crop 
or herd as a separate profit center. Stan Vasa of 
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farm records and find the program to be excellent." 

Why not get the best? Sure, you can buy a 

cheap program just as you can buy a cheap clock. 
But is it really worth it? 

Many customers report that "home accounting" 
programs are difficult to learn, clumsy to use, and 
obsessed with budgeting; that only Money Street 
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Bill Sampler, Fairfax Station, VA puts it this way: 
"One way I judge a program's worth is how easy it 
is to use after you have been away from it for a 
couple of weeks. Money Street is no problem, it 
runs like a fine jeweled watch." 

So, Money Street pleases customers just as a 
Porsche pleases drivers. Top quality costs more; 
that's a fact of life. But isn't quality always worth it? 

One of our customers, Buzz Buggerman of 
Orlando, FL said: "We use Money Street in our law 
office. We figure it's not the cost of the program 
that's important, but how much time it takes to set 
it up, learn it, and run it. Money Street's a breeze." 

How it works. On your computer screen, you 
create a facsimile of your checkbook. You see 17 
items per screen, and can scroll for more. As the 
computer balances your checking account, you give 
each check or deposit its own category code. 



PROGRAM FEATURES 

• 100 user-defined accounts • On screen chart of accounts • 
Account sub totals, grand totals • Handles unlimited checking 
accounts • Three minute year-end rollover • Credit card accounting 

• Full editing, even after entry • Check search and scan screen • 
Help screen • Wildcard searches 

PROGRAM LIMITS 

• 2400 checks per data disk • 200 uncleared items • Scan speed: 6 
per second • Amount limit: $999,999.99 • 100 account categories 

DOES MANY JOBS 

• Finds tax deductions • Single entry accounting • Job costing • 
Budgets and estimates • Mini accounts receivable • Mini inventory 

• Tracks personal loans • Real estate rentals • Stock purchases/ 
sales • Increases "float” 

CHECKING ACCOUNT MANAGER 

• Prints trial reconciliation • Balances checkbook and statement 

• Creates cancelled check filo • Prints detailed audit trail • In¬ 
cludes check register • Prints checkbook "history" • Captures 
monthly income • Easy to use 


' 



15 Ready-to-print reports! Press four keys 
and the program will print any of 15 different 
reports. Just select from the Report Menu, and the 
program does the rest. Start-up to print time is 
usually 20 seconds. Reports include: 

• Monthly code totals • To-date code totals • Sort by amount 

• List code dictionary • Sort by payee • List deposits • List 
uncleared checks • List uncleared deposits • List all entries 

• Sort by date cleared • Print check registry • Print selected 
month • Print selected code • List code totals • List monthly totals 


Money Street..It's totally new. 

If you own real estate. Money Street tracks rents, 
tallies repair costs, and helps establish "cost basis" 
for capital gain tax treatment. It's also ideal for trust 
accounting, retail stores, and home budgeting. 

Money back no matter what. Why not 

give us a try? If you aren't delighted, we'll give you a 
full refund on any mail order purchase from us. 

Includes tutorial, map, and reports. 

Money Street includes Program Map, complete 
documentation, on-screen demo, plus tutorial. For 
Apple® II, II +, lie, III emulation, and Apple look- 
alikes. Requires 3.3 DOS, 48K. Money Street works 
with one drive, but two are preferred. It's also okay 
without a printer, but you'll miss a few reports. 
Master Charge, Visa, COD okay. Add $2.50 on all 
orders for postage and packing. To order or get 
additional information: call 24 hours and leave your 
name with our answering machine. 

The program is copy protected. We sell back-up 
disks for $10. We also offer a special utility disk that 
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data disks, and allows fast sorts of selected months 
or code categories. Price is $25. 


Computer Tax Service 
P.O. Box 7915 
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Apple is a registered trade mark of Apple 
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r*CAR LOAN 


price-down=loan 
down/pricerdp 

payment:loan*( i/(1~(1+ i ) A ~term)) 



TKiSolver does for equations 
what word processing did for 
words. The first thing you should 
know about the TKiSolver™ program is 
that it is not a spreadsheet. Instead, it 
does something completely unheard 
of (until now)-it turns your personal 
computer into a voracious equation 
processor. 

The next thing you should know is 
that if the TKiSolver program can’t 
make life with your personal computer 
easier (and pay for itself), even if you 
use it only 15 minutes a week, you are 
a very rare person. 

And finally, you should know ex¬ 
actly what equation processing is, 
and how it works. If you keep reading 
this, you will. 

Equation processing with 
TKiSolver, or problem solving 
made easy. The best way to under¬ 
stand what the TKiSolver program /'s, 
is to understand what it c/oes. The 
following simple example is designed 
to do just that. 

Begin by setting up your problem. 
The TKiSolver program lets you do it 
quickly, easily, and naturally. For ex¬ 
ample, a car costs $9785. What would 
be the monthly payment on a three- 
year loan if the down payment is 25% 
and the interest rate is 15%? 

STEP 1 • Formulate the necessary 
equations to solve your problem and 
enter them on the "Rule Sheet" simply 
by typing them in (see screen photo). 
For example: "price-down = loan." 


STEP 2. Enter your known values the 
same way on the 'Variable Sheet." For 
example: "9785" for price. You may 
also enter units and comments, if you 
want.* 

STEP 3. Type the action command 
("1" on your keyboard) to solve the 
problem. 

STEP 4. TKiSolver displays the an¬ 
swer: the monthly payment is $254.40. 

Backsolving, the heart of 
TKiSolver. Now that you’ve defined 
the problem and solved it, TKISolver’s 
unique backsolving ability also lets 


you think "backwards" to solve for cn. 
variable, regardless of its position in 
the equation. For example, if you can 
only afford a monthly payment of 
$200, you can re-solve the problem In 
terms of that constraint. The TKlSoIvi 
program will solve the problem, din 
playing your choice of a higher dowf 
payment, a longer loan term, or a 
lesser interest rate. This unique ba< \ 
solving capability forms the basis ol 
TKISolver’s remarkably flexible probd 
lem-solving ability. 


*You can easily define appropriate unit conversions on the unit sheet at the same time. 



















































Also, as you can see from the 
|jh imj >le on the screen, TKISolver 
'I. not only with single variables, 
i ft with entire equations and sets of 
•i tmllaneous equations. It also deals 
illi much more complicated problems 
tf Mi this one. How complicated? 

ih. up to you. What kinds of prob- 
li ■ I hats up to you, too, but pop- 
n applications include finance, 
jlneering, science, design, and 
Nft" ation. 

IMhor extremely useful and 
iHtoresting things TKISolver 

Aside from its basic problem- 
fclvlng abilities, the TKISolver program 
K»il. >rms a number of pretty fancy 
k Like: Iterative Solving; in which 
TKI'm >lver performs successive approx- 
f ill- >ns of an answer when con- 

"l< MI with equations that cannot be 
«’«I directly,(like exp (x) = 2-x • y 

• I - in (x • y)= 3 - x - y). Like: List 
'Ivmq; in which TKISolver attacks 
m| 'li;te lists of input values and 

1 n*. them all, allowing you to exam- 
numerous alternative solutions, and 
1 ihe one you like best. Like: Tables 
*"■/ ( iraphs; using the values you pro- 
(u» - ' I with the List Solver, the TKISolver 
l 1 - |i« mi will automatically produce ta- 
< md graphs of your data. You can 

♦ i • il your formatted output on the 

n or send it to your printer with 
* ■ |l< f keystroke. And like: Automatic 


Unit Conversion; in which TKISolver 
lets you formulate problems in one unit 
of measurement, and display answers 
in another. Very convenient what with 
all this talk about going metric. 

The TKISolver program also pro¬ 
vides a wide variety of specialized 
business and mathematical functions 
like trig and log and net present 
value. 

Then, there's TKISolver’s on-screen 
Help facility that provides information 
on commands and features any time 
you want it. Just type // ? ,/ and a topic 
name. 

And of course the TKISolver pro¬ 
gram combines all these features in 
one integrated program. 
TKISolverPacks make problem¬ 
solving a picnic. TKISolverPack™ 
application packages are specially 
developed by experts in specific fields. 
Each package contains a diskette with 
about a dozen models that include 
the necessary equations, values, and 
tables for solving a particular problem. 
The models are usable as-is or you 
can easily modify them. 

TKISolverPack application pack¬ 
ages available from Software Arts 
include Financial Management, 
Mechanical Engineering, Building 
Design and Construction, and Intro¬ 
ductory Science. Additional TKISolver¬ 
Packs are on the way from Software 


TM 

Arts, McGraw-Hill, and others. 

We know they’re out there. No 

matter who your customers are, or 
what they do, if it involves using equa 
tions, the TKISolver program is an in¬ 
dispensable tool for them. In fact, 
they’ll be reading this ad in leading 
consumer and computer publications. 

Contact Cathy Brown today at 
(617) 431-6600 for the name of your 
nearest Software Arts distributor. 



Software Arts ™ 

The inventors of VisiCalc® 


27 Mica Lane, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02181 
617/237-4000 

CIRCLE 205 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


" i IKISolver, TKISolverPack, The Problem Cruncher, the stylized ! and the slogan "NOW YOU DON’T HAVE TO THINK LIKE A COMPUTER TO USE ONE!" 
1 ii Inmarks or registered trademarks of Software Arts, Inc. SATN,TK!SATN and DIF are trademarks or registered trademarks of Software Arts Products Corp. 
•• * no Arts is a trademark of Software Arts, Inc. and Software Arts Products Corp. The TKISolver program and the TKISolverPack applications packages are 
products of Software Arts, Inc. which is solely responsible for their contents. VisiCalc is a registered trademark of VisiCorp. 

Copyright© 1983 Software Arts, Inc. All rights reserved. p/N 100-092 p 8/83 














► BOOK EXCERPT/BY LESLIE E. SPARKS 


INVESTMENT ANALYSES 


You must understand the various forms that money can take before using your 
Apple to compare investments that differ as much as apples and oranges. 


























wh iommputers can be useful tools in 
miking investment decisions since a 
h ii hi, ruble number of calculations 
Hum be done when applying financial 
On on However , radically different 
mndihons in each investment situa- 
Hmm involving taxes , cash flow , risk, 
Uhl ir In ther profit is expected only when 
Mi' n\s< i is sold—require an investor to 
#♦<*./« i i‘ind which theories are appropri- 
th when evaluating a particular oppor- 
if»n //1 Good judgment must be used 
/•. for numbers are sent through a com¬ 


puter to make a meaningful choice of 
investments. 

In his book , Leslie E. Sparks 
addresses both the computer and the 
investor; the text includes numerous list¬ 
ings of BASIC programs that execute 
financial theories , as well as discussions 
that inform the reader of the meaning 
and appropriate use of these theories. 

The programs in this book are written 
in Microsoft BASIC; an appendix ex¬ 
plains how to convert the listings to run 
properly with other versions of BASIC. 


The three longest programs each require 
a computer with 48K RAM. These three 
are INVEST 1, to analyze investments 
that generate income; INVEST2, to ana¬ 
lyze investments where most profit would 
come as capital gain when the invest¬ 
ment is sold; and INVEST3, a version of 
INVEST2 that includes risk analysis. 

This book excerpt includes none of 
the program listings. Instead , it fo¬ 
cuses on teaching the basic prin- a 
ciples and methods of invest- / 

ment analysis. f t 

















Steps In Investment Analysis 

Investment analysis is a multistep pro¬ 
cess that ends with the selection of the 
investment or investments that are best 
for you. The steps are: 

• Define your investment objectives. 
Remember that your objectives are not 
the same as someone else’s investment 
objectives. 

• Determine the types of investments 
that meet your objectives. Because 
investment analysis is a time-consuming 
task, you want to limit the analysis to 
those investments that meet your objec¬ 
tives. 

• Determine the cost and return for all 
investments that meet objectives. This is 
a crucial step. 

• Analyze cost and return to find the 
best investments. This step is closely 
related to the preceding step. It may be 
efficient to loop between these two steps: 
first make optimistic assumptions about 
cost and income, then analyze cost and 
return; reject unsatisfactory investments, 
refine costs and returns, and repeat the 
analysis. 

• Analyze risk, which always is present 
in investments. Analysis of risk must be 
one of the steps in investment analysis. 
Computer assistance in analyzing risk is 
discussed later. 

• Select the investments you prefer 
based on the preceding quantitative anal¬ 
ysis, together with qualitative analysis 
that determines if you are comfortable 
with the investments. 

• Manage the investment to make sure 
costs and returns are as projected. This is 
not a step in the analysis procedure, but 
it is important if you are to meet invest¬ 
ment objectives. 

The emphasis of this book is on the 
analysis of projected costs and returns to 
determine whether the investment is a 
good one. The basic thrust of this analy¬ 
sis is based on the concepts of time value 
of money. Because the analysis is most 
objective and because it requires a con¬ 
siderable amount of computation, the 
computer is especially helpful in this 
step. Most of the other steps involve at 
least some subjective judgment, which is 
not susceptible to computer analysis. 
The analysis of projected costs and 
returns, on the other hand, is basically 
objective and involves some tedious 
methematics; but this is what computers 
are good at. 

The second area receiving emphasis 
is projection or forecasting of expected 
returns and expenses. A computer can be 
of assistance here; several programs for 
forecasting are provided. However, this 
area requires considerable subjective 
824 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


analysis. Thus it does not yield as grace¬ 
fully to computer analysis. 

Although these two areas are to 
receive the most emphasis, other steps 
are not totally neglected. Discussions are 
limited but do point out where the com¬ 
puter can help; in some cases computer 
programs are provided. 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES 
The first step in investment analysis is 
to define the objectives of the invest¬ 
ment. Any investment that does not meet 
your personal investment objectives 
should be rejected. If you properly 


define your objectives, you will be able 
to eliminate several possible investments 
with little or no additional analysis. 

Although you may have several 
objectives for investing (such as retire¬ 
ment or a vacation), you must realize 
that the first objective of any investment 
is to increase your future wealth. Unless 
the investment meets this objective, 
nothing else matters. You are better off 
spending the money now, not investing 
it for future gain. 

Although it seems obvious that an 
investment must increase future wealth, 
people often make investments that 
aren’t designed to do so. People forget 
the primary objective of investment and 

m The emphasis of this 
book is on the 
analysis of projected 
costs and returns to 
determine whether 
the investment is a 
good one. 

as a result make poor investment deci¬ 
sions. 

In order to meet this primary objec¬ 
tive you should choose investments that 
increase your future purchasing power, 
i.e., investments that keep ahead of 
inflation. The only way this can happen 
is if your investments make money. 

Yet many investments don’t meet this 
objective. Many so-called tax shelters, 
sold with the promise of reduced income 
tax, are good examples. At some levels 


of income the only way to reduce taxes n 
to increase expenses or losses. Since ni 
best, a dollar lost only gives fifty ecu !mu 
tax savings, you can cut your taxes ;in<! 
end up broke. 

Again, the objective of investmen! t 
to increase future wealth. The only w.iv 
this can happen is for the investment in 
earn money. Thus find the investments 
that earn the most money and pay (In 
extra taxes. And enjoy the extra weal Hi 
you have earned. 

If you cannot find investments Ilia! 
meet these objectives, spend your mon 


ey now and enjoy it. 

You may find it useful to make up a 
work sheet to help you define yom 
investment objectives. Remember that 
you may have conflicting objectives— 
don’t worry about that. You are the only 
person who can resolve the conflicts. 

ELEMENTS OF INVESTMENT 
ANALYSIS 

“Does this investment increase my 
future wealth?” is the question that must 
be answered by a rational investor. II 
more than one investment is being ana 
lyzed (as should be the situation), an 
additional question, “Which investmen! 
increases my future wealth the most?” is 
introduced. 

The answers to these questions 
require analysis of three factors: money, 
time, and risk. All investments, whether 
in the stock market, gold, real estate, or 
comic books, involve consideration ol 
these three factors. 

The money factor is the easiest to ana 
lyze and is often the only factor consid 
ered. The essential questions are how 
much does the investment cost, and how 
much money does it return. The main 
thing to remember in analyzing the mon¬ 
ey factor is to be sure that all costs are 
included in the analysis. 

The time factor is harder to analyze 
than the money factor—mainly because 
the mathematics involved is tedious. Yel 
careful consideration of the time factor is 
the heart of investment analysis. It is the 
factor that determines whether you will 
increase your future wealth. The essen 
tial questions are when must the invest 
ment be paid for, and when is the income 


01 


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from the investment paid. 

Because all investments involve giv¬ 
ing up present wealth or spending in 
exchange for future wealth, consider¬ 
ation of the time factor is essential to 
good investment decisions. A personal 
computer removes most of the hard work 
from time factor analysis. 

You must understand the relationship 
between time and money to make good 
investment decisions. If you don’t, you 
are very likely to find that your personal 
wealth has decreased. 

Risk is the one factor that cannot be 
quantified. The essential question is, 

^The analysis of 
projected costs and 
returns involves some 
tedious 

mathematics; but this 
is what computers 
are good at. 


what is the chance that I will not get my 
money back? Risk is generally evaluated 
intuitively. You must make your own 
decisions about how much risk you are 
willing to accept and what the risk 
involved in a given investment is. 

An important point to remember 
about risk is that risk and return are 
closely related. Low risk means low 
return and high risk means high return. 
There is basically no way to get high 
investment returns without accepting 
risk. 

The amount of risk that you are will¬ 
ing to accept depends on the objective 
underlying a given investment. If you 
are investing for your retirement, you 
should accept less risk than if you are 
investing for a need which is not as 
important. You should only accept high 
risk if you can afford to lose all of the 
money invested. Be sure that you know 
how much risk you can accept before 
you proceed too far with an investment. 
But don’t expect to find an investment 
with low risk and high returns. 
OTHER FACTORS 
Money, time, and risk are the three 
main factors that every investor should 
consider. These factors can be more or 
less quantified, and a computer can help 
in analyzing them. However, there are 
numerous other factors to consider. 
Most of them depend on the individual 
investor. 

Most of the other factors are intangi- 
844 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


ble, yet they are as important, if not 
more important, than the tangible factors 
of time, money, and risk. It is often the 
intangibles that determine whether a giv¬ 
en investment will actually pay off for 
you. For example, if you don’t want to 
be a landlord, then an investment in rent¬ 
al real estate will probably not work 
out—no matter what the quantitative 
analysis indicates. 

If the thought of risk makes you stay 
awake at night, then you should stay 
away from risky investments, no matter 
how good they look. 

In the final analysis you should select 
investments that you can live with. The 
computer, I’m afraid, won’t be of much 
help. 

THE RATIONAL INVESTOR 

The rational investor must consider all 
three factors—time, money, and risk— 
in making an investment decision. In 
general, rational investors have the fol¬ 
lowing preferences: 

• For a given rate of return, they prefer 
the investment that returns money the 
earliest. Thus if the choice is $100 next 
year or $100 next month, the preferred 
investment is the one that returns $100 
next month. 

• For any given rate of return, they pre¬ 
fer the investment with the least risk. 

• For any given degree of risk, they pre¬ 
fer high returns to low returns. 

The last two preferences state that a 
high rate of return is required for risky 
investments. 

The computer can help you sort all the 
factors involved in a given investment, 
and thus can help you make rational 
decisions. 

HOW COMPUTERS HELP 

First, remember that a computer is a 
tool. How it is used and how well it is 
used depend on you. The computer can¬ 
not make the decision for you. The final 
decision is yours and yours alone. (I real¬ 
ize that I have said this before, and I will 
say it again. However, I feel that we all 
tend to forget that the computer is a tool 
and begin to believe the calculated 
results too much. We must always be on 
guard against putting too much faith in 
the computer.) 

Second, remember that no matter 
how impressive computer output 
looks—and it does look impressive— 
the analysis depends completely on the 
data and programs you provide for the 
computer. Often this is the hardest thing 
to remember. The computer printout 
tends to blind us to the fact that the com¬ 
puter is using the information we sup¬ 
plied, and the calculations are all based 
on our assumptions, some of which may 


be built into the program. The maim ' 
danger of computer-aided investmi m 
analysis is that we all tend to read !»••• 
much into the computer output. 

Finally, remember that the compuli i 
cannot calculate subjective factors, ii 
can only analyze factors that can Ik 
quantified in an objective manner. Don't 
expect the computer to help you will* 
problems that concern subjective la* 
tors. 

With all the warnings out of the way, 
let’s look at what this powerful tool can 
do. 

First, it can do a tremendous amount 
of calculation quickly. This fact alone 
has persuaded large companies to usu 
their computers to help make investment 
decisions. Speed of computation is also 
the main justification for using a person 
al computer for investment analysis. The 
time factor is so important that we need 
all available tools to meet this issue ade 
quately. 

Second, the speed and ease of calcu¬ 
lations means that several investments 
can be analyzed in a short time. Thus we 
can carefully analyze all pertinent 
investments. We are not limited to ana 
lyzing investments that are simple to 
analyze, nor are we limited to analyzing 
only a few factors affecting the invest 
ment. We can use the computer to make 
sure that all important factors are consid¬ 
ered; that alone is worth the cost of the 
computer and the time we must spend 

^ You must understand 
the relationship 
between time and 
money to make 
good investment 
decisions. 

working with it. 

Finally, the speed of calculation 
allows us to estimate the risk involved 
We can study the effects of various fac¬ 
tors such as inflation rate, interest rates, 
higher expenses, etc. 

After you have worked with a person 
al computer for awhile, I think you will 
find that it is more powerful than a main 
frame computer for investment analysis 
because you work interactively with n 
personal computer. You can get an inlu 
itive idea about the investment that i 
impossible with other methods of invest 
ment analysis. 

Of course if the programs are noi 
written to allow interactive use of I hr 



























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THE OPERATOR comes to you with 
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computer, you’ll miss most of the bene¬ 
fits of using a personal computer. 

To make most effective use of a com¬ 
puter, whether it be mainframe or micro, 
you have to build a computer model of 
the investment in which you’re interest¬ 
ed. A computer model allows you to 
simulate the performance of the invest¬ 
ment for several years using different 
assumptions about income, expenses, 
inflation, and other important factors. 
Thus you will be able to see the effects of 
a 10 percent increase in expenses with¬ 
out actually having to make the invest¬ 
ment. 

Once the basic model is built, you can 
use the computer to help manage your 
investments. This is done by updating 
the information supplied to the computer 
and by changing the model if necessary. 
For example, if an investment is not 
working as well as you hoped, you can 
see what has to be done to make it work 
better, whether you should terminate the 
investment as soon as possible. 


I think you will find that the personal 
or microcomputer is a useful tool for 
investment analysis. And you will soon 
wonder how you ever managed to get 
along without one. 

The Money Factor 

The key questions about any invest¬ 
ment are how much does it cost and how 
much does it return. These are the only 
questions that really matter. All other 
investment questions are primarily 
aimed at answering these questions. 

86 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


The key questions have four parts: 

1. How much does the investment 
cost? 

2. How much does it cost to obtain 
the money necessary to purchase the 
investment? 

3. What are the ongoing expenses 
and income from the investment? 

4. Finally, and perhaps most impor¬ 
tant, what is the timing of future income 
and expenses? 

Risk is the one factor 
that cannot be 
quantified. 

In this chapter we will look at the first 
three of these questions. 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST! 

You may think this an obvious or a 
trivial question. No one, you might say, 


would make an investment without 
knowing how much it costs. Yet we 
often do. 

It is generally easy to determine what 
the selling price of something is. For 
example, if you purchase a stock you 
know what the selling price of the stock 
is. But the selling price is not the total 
cost of the investment. There are often 
other expenses that must be paid before 
you can purchase an investment. For 
example, there may be commissions, 
taxes, finder’s fees, advertising costs, 


and numerous other costs that musl !•• 
paid in order to purchase a given invent 
ment, and these costs are often hidd. •• 
Thus the first step in investment analyst* 
is to determine the total cost of acquit ni|* 
the investment. Using a worksheet is • 
good way to insure that all costs are om 
sidered. 

THE COST OF MONEY 

There are two sources of money lm 
investment: yours and someone else* • 
In theory and in the absence of taxes, .m 
investment decision is independent "I 
the source of money. However, in tin 
real world taxes exist, we cannot always 
borrow as much as we’d like, and so on, 
hence the source of funds does influence 
the investment decision. 

BORROWED MONEY 

The cost of borrowed money is easy In 
determine. It is the interest rate you min 
pay for money. The interest rate is spec 
ified in the loan agreement and can he 
calculated. If the interest rate is variable 
you can still estimate it. 

Because interest expense is an allow 
able business expense, the true cost ol 
borrowed money is less than the interest 
rate on the loan. For example, if you are 
in the 50 percent tax bracket, the aftei 
tax cost of a 20 percent interest rate is 10 
percent. Of course if you are in a lowci 
tax bracket, your after tax cost of bor 
rowing money is closer to the pretax 
interest rate. 

YOUR OWN MONEY 

The cost of using your own money is 
somewhat more difficult to determine 
You might think there is no cost in usinp 
your own money. After all it’s yom 
money; you don’t have to pay interest il 
you want to spend it. 

It is important to remember that if you 
use your money for one investment, it is 
not available for other investments, noi 
is it available to earn interest. For exam¬ 
ple, if you decide to purchase stocks, 
then your money is not available to pur 
chase a term certificate of deposit. In 
other words, you have lost the chance to 
purchase a certificate of deposit and gain 
the interest it would pay. 

Suppose that you have the choice ol 
investing $1,000 in Sam’s get-rich-quick 
scheme or putting your $1,000 into an 
all-savers’ certificate that pays 12 per 
cent interest tax free. If you invest in 
Sam’s get-rich-quick, you pass up the 
all-savers’ certificate and it costs you I ' 
percent (the amount you have forfeited 
by not collecting interest). 

The loss of money for other invest 
ments is called opportunity cost. In om 
example, the numerical value of the 
opportunity cost is the return on the cei 



1- = -1-1-1-i-1 

0 5 10 15 20 25 

DISCOUNT RA^E 


Fig. 2 

































nitiKi*' ol deposit or 12.0 percent of the 
11 i "l the certificate. 

hi general a good value for the oppor- 
I -I cost is the return that can be 
I. <i < i'd from a risk-free investment. If 
die considering a risky investment, 

• hould add a slight amount to the 
11 -»nunity cost to compensate for the 
o I 

\ 111k >ugh the opportunity cost and the 
Iniur.t rate on a loan may be close, their 
Ihii .ilter-tax costs may be quite differ- 

• nt l ux laws that allow deduction of 
ini» i< st reduce the real cost of borrowing 
•ii mI thus favor the use of borrowed 
iitiuls. 

i OIUTY AND BORROWED 
< \PITAL 

Most investments are composed of a 
Mimbination of borrowed money and 
• |iiity (a fancy way of saying your mon- 
\). The cost of using such a combina- 
imhi of funds is given by: 

C = (BI + EV)/T 

' here C is the total cost of capital (given 
I ii*. a percentage), B is the amount that 
must be borrowed, / is the interest rate 
ilut the funds are borrowed at, E is the 
I amount of equity, V is the opportunity 
rost, and T is the total amount of the 
investment. 

For example; suppose you have an 
opportunity to buy real estate. Assume 
ilu* cost of the property is $100,000 and 
includes all commissions, closing costs, 
etc., and assume you can borrow 
W0,000 at 20 percent (so you need 
$20,000 equity). You can invest in tax 
lice government bonds that pay 8 per¬ 
cent interest. And your marginal tax rate 
is 40 percent. The after tax cost of bor- 
iowing is 12 percent. The average cost of 
capital for the investment is 
C =(80,000 x 12 + 20,000 x 8.0) 

/ 100,000 = 11 . 2 % 

I t his means that an investment must have 
in after tax return of 11.2 percent to 
recover the cost of making the invest¬ 
ment. 

As you will see later, it is important to 
know the cost of capital. The cost of cap¬ 
ital combined with the concepts of time 
value of money tell us whether an invest¬ 
ment has made a profit. 

( ASH FLOWS 

The flow of money into and out of an 
investment is called the cash flow. Cash 

I low is made up of income, called cash 
| inflows, and expenses, called cash out- 
• flows, and depreciation. The sum of the 

* ash inflows, depreciation, and cash out¬ 
laws determines the overall cash flow. 

II the cash inflows exceed the cash out¬ 
laws, you have a positive cash flow and 
might have a good investment. If the 


cash flow is negative, you have a loss 
and a bad investment. 

One major problem you face in 
investment analysis, and the one most 
books on investment analysis discuss is 
projecting cash flows for the life of the 
investment. Once you have made an 
investment, you have the problem of 
insuring that the cash flows actually 
occur. We will examine the problem of 
forecasting; however, the problem of 

m Remember that no 
matter how 
impressive computer 
output looks the 
analysis depends 
completely on the 
data and programs 
you provide. 


how to make sure cash flows actually 
occur is outside the scope of this 
book. 

Cash flow can vary from year to year. 
For many investments cash flow in the 
first years of the investment is negative, 
meaning expenses exceed income. (Of 
course this difference must be accounted 
for, which usually is done by borrowing 
additional funds.) After several years of 
operation cash flow becomes positive. 
For the investment to be a good one, the 
final total of yearly cash flows must be 
positive. Otherwise, you will have lost 


money. 

There are two important types of cash 
flow: spendable cash flow and taxable 
cash flow. It is possible for an invest¬ 
ment to produce negative spendable cash 
flow and positive taxable cash flow, 
which is not a very good idea. The 
reverse is also possible and is more desir¬ 
able. 

These two types of cash flow are not 
the same. Spendable cash flow is the 
money that we actually have to spend. 
Taxable cash flow is the money that the 
IRS wants to tax. 

The tax laws are the reason for the 
differences between spendable and tax¬ 
able cash flow. The tax laws allow us to 
deduct certain expenses from income 
that are not out of pocket expenses, and 
prohibit us from deducting other out of 
pocket expenses from income. The 
worst possible situation is when the IRS 
says you made a profit (so you have to 
pay taxes) and yet you have lost out of 


pocket money. 

Depreciation is the major tax law 
expense that is not an out of pocket 
expense. That is, you do not write a 
check for depreciation. Although depre¬ 
ciation can reduce our taxable income, it 
does not necessarily reduce our spend¬ 
able income. (If we set aside funds for 
replacing depreciated equipment, then 
depreciation can also reduce our spend¬ 
able cash. However, this is not often 
done.) This is why cash flow is usually 
defined as after tax profit plus deprecia¬ 
tion. In this book I will call the taxable 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^87 


20000 


UJ 

ID 

< 

> 

h- 

Z 

111 

in 

LU 

cc 

CL 


15000' 


10000 - 


5000- 



—i-1— 

10 15 

DISCOUNT RATE 


20 


25 


Fig. 3 





















cash flow “cash flow.” I will always use 
the term “spendable cash flow” when 
I’m talking about the spendable cash 
flow. This should avoid confusion. 

Principal payments on a loan are the 
major spendable expense that is not an 
expense for tax purposes. An investment 
that is financed with borrowed money 
must produce enough income to make 
both the interest and principal payments. 
Otherwise, you would have to find addi¬ 
tional funds to make the required loan 
payments. 

In mathematical terms the two cash 
flows can be described as: 

Taxable cash flow = income - 
expenses + depreciation - taxes 
Spendable cash flow = income - 
expenses — principal paid — taxes 
SPENDABLE AND TAXABLE 
CASH FLOWS 

Suppose you have an investment that 
produces $ 1,000 income, per year. The 
allowable depreciation on the investment 
if $600, the interest payment is $200 and 
the principal payment is $400. Your tax 
rate is 50 percent. The tax paid on the 
investment is calculated by determining 
the net taxable income, which is $1,000 
(gross income) — $200 (interest) — $600 
(depreciation) = $200 taxable income. 
The tax paid is $100. The net after tax 
profit is $100. The after tax cash flow is 
$100 (net profit) + $600 (depreciation) 
= $700. The after tax spendable cash 
flow is given by $1,000 (gross income) 
- $200 (interest payment) — $400 (prin¬ 
cipal payment) — $100 (tax paid) = 
$300. Note that the investment yielded 
$300 for your pocket. 

In general over the life of an invest¬ 
ment, spendable cash flow and taxable 
cash flow from a profitable investment 
are both positive. However, it is impor¬ 
tant to realize that for individual years of 
the life of the investment, you may find 
that you did not earn enough to make the 
principal payments on your loan. In such 
situations, you should carefully examine 
the investment. Principal and interest 
payments must be made, so if you keep 
the investment you will have to find 
additional funds to make the necessary 
payments. Such funds will increase the 
cost of the investment. 

ESTIMATING CASH FLOWS 
Estimating the future cash flows from 
an investment is a critical step in invest¬ 
ment analysis. This step is discussed by 
most books on investment analysis. The 
methods used to make estimates vary 
with the type of investment. Only a gen¬ 
eral discussion will be given here. 

The first cash flow that must be esti¬ 
mated is the initial cost of the invest- 
88 « A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


ment, composed of the cost that the sell¬ 
er is asking and the cost that the invest¬ 
ment is worth. 

It is fairly easy to determine the price 
the seller is asking. It is somewhat more 
difficult to determine the price that you 
should pay for an investment. Tech¬ 
niques for estimating the value of an 
investment vary with the type of invest¬ 
ment. For example, a technique that 
works for estimating the value of com- 

m A computer model 
r allows you to see the 
effects of a 10 
percent increase in 
expenses without 
actually having to 
make the investment. 

mon stock or a business probably would 
not work for determining the value of 
rental property. 

No matter what you’re buying, the 
first step is to determine the price of sim¬ 
ilar investments. If the asking price for 
your investment is out of line with that of 
similar investments, be careful. 

Once you’ve determined that the sell¬ 
ing price is reasonable compared to sim¬ 
ilar investments, then you refine your 
estimate of the appropriate price. The 
steps you should go through depend 
mostly on the type of investment. 

The next step is to estimate expenses 
and income for the life of the investment. 
Income can be of two types: income 
from the investment and income from 
the eventual sale of the investment. 
Many investments have income from 
only one source. For example, an invest¬ 
ment in a new piece of equipment for a 
business would be expected to produce 
income from increased business. But it 
would not normally be resold for a prof¬ 
it. On the other hand, many common 
stocks do not produce income; they do 
not have dividends, but are expected to 
be resold at a profit. 

There are two questions that must be 
answered in order to project the income 
and expenses from an investment. First, 
what are the expected first year income 
and expenses from the investment? 
These can best be determined by careful 
analysis of the income and expenses of 
similar investments. The basic idea is 
that income and expenses from similar 
investments should be about the same. 
Any investment that has projected 
income or expenses different from those 


of similar investments should be e\.m 
ined with great care, as somethin)' I 
probably wrong. 

Once first year income and expcn*,< 
have been estimated, the next step if. i. 
estimate the growth of income ;mi 
expenses over the life of the invest nu m 
You should begin by looking al |u, 
trends in the particular invest nu n 
you’re considering. Also look at pin 
trends for the type of investment you t 
interested in. 

The techniques used to make c;i I 
flow estimates depend on the type <• 
investment. You should carefully stud 
the techniques available for a given typ 
of investment and then use the tceli 
niques best suited for you. A brief din 
cussion of estimating cash flows for rent 
al property followed by a short discus 
sion of common stock have been chosei 
because they are two of the most com 
mon forms of investment. 
ESTIMATING CASH FLOW FOR 
RENTAL PROPERTY 
First let’s look at rental properl 
investments. The first step is to exam in 
the expense and income history of tli 
particular property you’re interested ii 
purchasing. Analyze pertinent books fo 
the past several years. Use forecastin; 
techniques to determine data trends 
Verify whether some expense, for exam 
pie maintenance, is too low or too high 
A low value for an important expens 
may overstate the profit from the proper 
ty. A high value may indicate a problen 
with the property. 

Next, evaluate the past income an< 
expense history of rental properties nea 
the units you’re considering. Start will 
properties in the neighborhood of you 
units, then look at property throughou 

^ It is important to 
remember that if yoi 
use your money for 
one investment, it is 
not available for 
other investments. 

the rest of the city. If you see that you 
units are out of line with the competition 
find out why. Otherwise, you may hav< 
a serious problem. You should use fore 
casting techniques to estimate the trend; 
for these properties too. The trend; 
should be similar to those of your prop 
erty. If they are not, look at all the fig 
ures to determine the reasons for discrep 
ancies. 







































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CIRCLE 179 ON READER SERVICE CARD 
















Examine the age and condition of the 
various rental units. Compare with the 
age and condition of the property you’re 
interested in. Remember that rental 
income can be expected to decrease as 
the age of the units increase, especially if 
the condition of the units falls below that 
of the competition. Also note that 
expenses for many properties can be 
expected to increase as a property 
ages. 

Several techniques have been devel¬ 
oped to help estimate income and 
expenses for real estate investments. 
You should be familiar with these if you 
are to take maximum advantage of the 
help you can get from a computer. 

The final projection for real estate 
investment is the estimation of the future 
selling price. There are several tech¬ 
niques for making the projection; all give 
you an expected appreciation that can be 
used with the programs in this book. 

The final step in estimating the future 
price of a property is to put yourself in 
the place of the buyer. Ask yourself if 
you would purchase the property. If you 
wouldn’t, then why would someone 
else? 

You should remember that the value 
of an investment is closely tied to the 
income and expenses produced by the 
investment. 

CASH FLOW FROM COMMON 
STOCK 

The cash flow from common stocks is 
the dividend paid by the stock and the 
capital gain from the eventual sale of the 
stock. Generally there are no expenses to 
estimate other than commission due 
when the stock is sold. 

There are two basic techniques for 
estimating the future price of common 
stock, fundamental analysis and techni¬ 
cal analysis. Fundamental analysis is 
based on the idea that careful study of the 
present and future prospects of a busi¬ 
ness can tell you the present and future 
value of the business’ common stock. If 
the present price is less than the future 
value the stock is a good investment. 

Technical analysis is based on the 
assumption that the present price and 
past price trends of a stock contains all 
the information necessary to determine 
the future price. If the future price is 
projected upwards, then the stock may 
be a good investment. If the future price 
is projected downwards, then the stock 
should be sold. 

You should consult one of the many 
books on common stock evaluation to 
determine which method is best for you. 
Probably the best idea is to pick a meth¬ 
od and stick with it. 

904 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


SUMMARY 

Estimating future cash flows can be a 
lot of work. Much information is needed 
and a considerable amount of study is 
required. The only way to reduce the 
effort required is to lower the number of 
investments that must be studied. An 
efficient way to do this is to make a best 
case study of all the investments you’re 
considering. The information for this 
type of study is easy to obtain. Then use 
programs to analyze the investments. 
Reject all investments that the analysis 
shows are poor. If the investments are 
poor under best-case assumptions, there 
is little to be gained by making more 
realistic assumptions. 

Go back and refine the projections for 
the investments that remain. Take con¬ 
siderable care in making the projections 
for these investments. Then rerun the 
analysis programs and select invest- 

^ The worst possible 
situation is when the 
IRS says you made a 
profit and yet you 
have lost out of 
pocket money. 

ments that meet your needs. 

Methods of Investment 
Analysis 

Several methods of analyzing invest¬ 
ments have been developed. Some have 
been found useful and have survived; 
others have not. Some of the more com¬ 
mon methods of investment analysis and 
their advantages and disadvantages are 
presented in this chapter. 

SIMPLE RETURN ON 
INVESTMENT 

Simple return on investment, or ROI, 
is one of the more common methods for 
evaluating an investment. Simple return 
on investment is the sum of all profits 
from the investment, divided by the cap¬ 
ital cost of the investment times the num¬ 
ber of year of the investment. 

Example: Simple ROI 
For example, let’s assume that the total 
cost of the investment is $50,000. The 
profits from the investment are $10,000 
the first year, $20,000 in both the second 
and third years, and $5,000 the fourth 
and final year. The return on investment 
is: 

ROI = ($10,000 + 20,000 + 20,000 
+ 5,000) 

/ (4 x 50,000) 

= 55,000/(200,000) = 0.275 or 
27.5 percent 


The advantages claimed for the sini|»li 
ROI method are: 

• The calculation of simple ROI is easy 

• Simple ROI involves profit, and invos 
tors are used to thinking in terms of prol 
it. 

• It considers all profits in the life of Ilu 
investment. (The payback method dis 
cussed below does not do this.) 

The major disadvantages of the method 
are: 

• There are no universal definitions ol 
invested capital or profits so there is no 
assurance that everyone is talking about (lu- 
same things. 

• The method provides for a single initial 
investment followed by a series of yearly 
profits or losses. It does not provide foi 
additional investment during the life of tin- 
investment. 

• It does not include the time value of 
money. Profits earned during the early 
years are given the same weight as profits 
earned later. This is a poor way to treat cash 
flows for two reasons. First, future cash 
flows are more uncertain than near-term 
cash flows and thus are riskier. Second, the 
time value of money shows that near-term 
cash flows are more valuable than long¬ 
term cash flows. 

Because the simple ROI method ne¬ 
glects the timing of the cash flows, it must 
be considered a very crude tool for invest¬ 
ment analysis and decision making. 

PAYBACK PERIOD 

The payback method is a popular way 
of analyzing investments. You simply 
ask how soon the income from an invest¬ 
ment equals the cost of the investment. 
Investments with the shortest payback 
period are selected. 

The payback period is calculated 
from the annual cash flows for each year 
of the investment. The annual cash flow 
is given by: 

profit for year + depreciation — tax 
paid. 

For example, assume you have a 
chance to invest $10,000 in a new busi¬ 
ness. The investment will earn $2,000 a 
year. The payback period is then five 
years. 

The main advantage of the payback 
period is that it tells you how soon you 
will get your money back. The main dis¬ 
advantages of the payback period meth¬ 
od are: 

• It does not identify the profitability of 
an investment, which is what really mat¬ 
ters. I don’t know anyone who invests to 
minimize payback time. 

• It ignores the timing of cash flows. 

• It completely ignores all cash flows 
that occur after the payback period. Thus 











































explore, and each is a part of the 
computer. 

Sidney: Oh really? 

Cybil: Yeah! And in this game 
you guide Willy on his wild 
adventures while he skydives 
into the Power room, operates a 
crane in the RAM room, bounces 
in and out of the CPU, and zips 
around the Disk Drive room. I got 
extra points for flowcharting 
Willy’s... 

Sidney (perplexed): 

Flowcharting? What's 
flowcharting? 

Cybil It is all 
in that little 
book that 
came with 
Willy. 


if >nmeats, Cybil notices an 
mfittid object, high in the 
ns, swinging from pole to 

fMI(whisperingto herself): 

1 1 ' 1 1 ill ling speed, the 
i i» ( l ic response, the total 
• iiiiilent, it must be Willy 
il 

w that moment the game's 
1 1 111 , itic electronic hero, 

« st)es Cybil and slides 
> tully down the pole to 
i Ins newest acquaintance.) 

r 'My Hyte (cheerfhlly): 

*•♦‘11 u< i:;, Cybil! Welcome to the 
1 *i I mnension.. 

|M*ii The Digital what? 

Idly Y< >u know my home, the 
I**'in i )f your computer. Watch 


(Off he scampers about the 
keyboard room, pulling and 
tugging on each bit while 
dodging the stinging sensation 
of static charges. As soon as 
Willy completes his task and the 
byte has safely left the keyboard 
room, a pale expression comes 
over Willy's face.) 

Cybil: Are you alright? 

Willy Byte (concerned): 
Problems in the 
Power Room. 

Cybil (confused): 

What problems? 

Willy Byte (assertive): 

Follow me! 

(As Willy and Cybil sprint 
toward the I/O port, a sinister 
laugh is heard from above - the 
la ughter of HexLuthor. Suddenly 
a bolt of static charge is seen 
thundering its way toward Willy 
Byte.) 

Cybil: Watch out, Willy! 

(Cybil awakens from her dream 
to find her brother Sidney 
standing in her doorway.) 

Sidney (concerned): Cybil, are 
you alright? 

Cybil: I guess I was dreaming. 


Sidney: As I was walking to the 
kitchen I noticed that the 
computer was left on. The 
screen’s got a picture of a new 
game on it, 
but I can’t 
find the 
disk. 


Cybil (animatedly): Yeah, it’s 
Willy Byte in the Digital 
Dimension. Mom and Dad 
bought it for us. I’ll show you 
Sidney (sarcastically): They did 
what!? 

Cybil (on a sudden upsurge of 
emotion): Dad says that when I 
play Willy Byte I learn all kinds 
of stuff about computers. 

Sidney: Like what? 

Cybil: First you jump into the 
CPU room. And then there are 
lots of other game rooms to 


VJ / 

Sidney: Where y is it? .. Here it 
is. Look at that! Is that cover HOT! 
It looks like an album cover. 

From the looks of all these 
pictures,... This looks great... 
Got to Play! Where’s the disk?... 
Cybil! 

Cybil (dashing to the computer): 
Mom and Dad will let us play as 
long as we want and I’m first. 
Sidney (impatiently): Go for it! 

Look for Willy Byte in the 
Digital Dimension at your 
nearest dealer or call DTI Data 
Trek toll-free at (800) 654-SOFT. 

In California, call toll-free 
(800) 652-DATA. 

Suggested Retail: $39.95 

dti data trek 

121 West E Street 
Encinitas, California 92024 
(619) 436-5055 

Available for the Apple II, Atari 400, 
800, and 1200 

Apple is a trademark of Apple 
Computer, Inc. 

Atari is a registered trademark of 
Atari, Inc. 


CIRCLE 187 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


TERS 

Hylo: • electronic hero 
il I'Miitoi: i Ik jital archvillian 
I Htbblo: 13 year-old player 
L ■ Ityh in the Digital 

-, Nibble: 16year-old 
brother 

me - A suburban 
In >me in the 1980's on 
late Sunday 
'vening. A teenager, 

( ybil Nibble, has 
I ieen playing (for the 

• • iiilli time) Willy Byte in 

• ///.// Dimension, the 
i cation in computer 

ii r h orn Data Trek, Inc. 

ulos to go to bed and 
I) i •liters into a deep sleep 

• ton ies her into the Digital 
‘i .it m. She finds herself on 
iDiind gazing at eight 
m n j«fectronic circuit 

.n h emitting an orange 
iff h il consumes the entire 
i ft* 'mated and perplexed 
In udden change in 















































an investment with a two-year payback 
period followed by no income would be 
preferred to an investment with a three- 
year payback period followed by three 
years of high profits. This doesn’t sound 
like a choice most people would make. 
• It does not apply to many types of 
investments in which the main profit is 
from capital gains, for example a real 
estate investment. 

Despite all its disadvantages, the pay¬ 
back period method is favored by many 
investors. It is useful as a rough screen¬ 
ing method. However, the fact that it 
totally ignores the time value of money 
must be considered a fatal flaw. 
DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW 
RETURN ON INVESTMENT 

The discounted cash flow return on 
investment or the internal rate of return 
method is one of two methods of invest¬ 
ment analysis which considers the time 
value of money. The idea is to find the 
discount rate that makes the present val¬ 
ue of total cash flows for the life of the 
investment equal to the present value of 
the cost of the investment. The method 
requires trial-and-error calculations, but 
these are easy with a computer. Without 
a computer the calculations would be 
tedious and probably make the method 
unusable, especially if several invest- 

p A personal computer 
is more powerful 
than a mainframe 
computer for 
investment analysis, 
because you work 
interactively. 


ments must be examined. 

The major advantage of the discoun¬ 
ted cash flow return on investment meth¬ 
od is that you don’t have to assume a 
discount rate. The method produces a 
number that has real meaning and is use¬ 
ful for decision making. To use the dis¬ 
counted cash flow return on investment 
method to rank investments, choose the 
investment with the highest discounted 
cash flow return on investment. 

The major problems with the discoun¬ 
ted cash flow return on investment meth¬ 
od are: 

• Good investments might be missed 
when funds are limited. To see how this 
might happen consider the case shown in 
Figure 1. Note that investment A has the 
92 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


highest internal rate of return. You want 
to invest all available funds, so you will 
select investments A and C. However, 
an examination of the combined rate of 
return from A and C shows that invest¬ 
ment B is best for all your money. There 
are ways to modify the discounted cash 
flow rate of return method to allow for 
the case shown in Figure 1. However, 
these make the computations even more 
difficult. 

• The method can produce two values of 
discounted cash flow return on invest¬ 
ment. This is a serious problem if some 
of the cash flows during the life of the 
investment are negative and some are 
positive. Figure 2 shows this. 

NET PRESENT VALUE 

The final method is the net present 
value method. This is the other method 
that considers the time value of money. 
In the net present value method, all fu¬ 
ture cash flows from the investment are 
discounted with a predetermined dis¬ 
count rate. If the net present value of all fu¬ 
ture cash flows is greater than the pres¬ 
ent value of the cost of the investment, 
the investment is considered profitable. 

The biggest problem with the method 
is in determining the value of the dis¬ 
count rate to be used. The general advice 
is to use the larger of the cost of capital 
and the maximum risk free return. The 
investment criterion is that an invest¬ 
ment with a present value greater than or 
equal to the cost of the investment will 
be accepted. If more than one acceptable 
investment is found, then the investment 
with the greatest net present value will be 
selected. 

When the present value of future cash 
flows is less than the cost of the invest¬ 
ment, the earnings from the investment 
were less than you would receive, had 
you put your money into the investment 
represented by the discount rate. If you 
consistently find that your investments 
are not producing a high present value, 
you should be sure that you are using the 
correct discount rate. 

THE EFFECT OF DISCOUNT 
RATE CHOICE 

The value used for the discount rate 
has a large effect on the calculated net 
present value. The effect of this on 
investment decision making is discussed 
in this section. 

The net present values (present value 
of all cash flows less present value of 
cost of investment) for two investments 
are plotted as a function of discount rate 
in Figure 3. At low discount rates invest¬ 
ment A is superior; at high discount rates 
investment B is superior. Investment B’s 
ranking improves as the discount rate 


increases because investment B I u\ 
higher early cash flows than does invt i 
ment A. At low discount rates, the vnliu 
of investment A’s later year cash flow:, i 
still high. However, as the discount rah 
increases, the value of future year cji li 
flows greatly decreases. 

This example is meant to show flit 

The major 
advantage of the 
discounted cash flow 
return on investment 
method is that you 
don’t have to assume 
a discount rate. 

importance of selecting the correct dis 
count rate. To do this you must know tlu 
cost of capital and the available returns 
on risk free investments. 

HIDDEN ASSUMPTION 

There is one significant assumption 
made in the discounted cash flow meth 
ods that needs to be discussed. This 
assumption is that incoming cash flows 
from the investment can be reinvested at 
the discount rate. For the discounted 
cash flow return on investment method 
this means that you are assuming you can 
invest all profits at the discounted cash 
flow return on investment rate. 

For the net present value method the 
assumption is that one can reinvest at the 
cost of capital. This should be fairly 
close to the truth, which means that in 
the long run the assumption in the nel 
present value method is not as radical as 
the assumption in the discounted cash 
flow return on investment method. 

The main danger of using the dis 
counted cash flow methods of invest 
ment analysis is that you can be so con 
fident of the details of the calculations 
that you forget other important factors. 


Leslie E. Sparks is involved in utility 
research and development. He has pub 
lished numerous articles in technical 
journals and microcomputing maga 
zines. He has a Ph.D. in engineering 
from the University of Washington. 


Reprinted with permission from Invest 
ment Analysis With Your Microcomputci 
(book no. 1479), copyright 1983, pub 
lished by TAB BOOKS, Inc., Blue 
Ridge Summit, PA 17214. 


CIRCLE 761 ON READER SERVICE CARD 






























INTRODUCING 


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188.. ..133 lisc. eifeisn. 588....29? lai office supplies. 688.. .ill uausd 

788.. ..W wwl. 888... 893 gmiseB. 988....399 mi,il 


128loliu VISICIIIC for tie with m UITRATEB1 cui ! 

lit tin Milt fi* 8IWX, ttftwe to use VlSICftlC with the OINBTEBI ; r.cw voo tin displav foot tilts ts . 
iitut with «f(tr ltd latr u« thtritltn in your libels. Yon now mu ice lore of your worksheets than evo 
>11128 the.am ictioss ly 32 lines <wn. Si.ply boot VlSICflLC vii oor ULIRfUiW p e-tot dish and yonV 
>=! tie illTMTM! YISiCMt jre-loot .cell with the fipple It, Apple 111, Style He and the frinUin, 


m: mm t r ^ mm ^ . 

■3&*. &ui £•»- sacy EH>2 U£3 


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» 1 S K 

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40. «A 

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YOU’LL LOVE THE VIEW! 


With UltraTerm, the revolutionary new card 
from Videx, you'll enjoy sweeping panoramas 
of spreadsheets that you've never seen 
before: 128 columns by 32 lines, 132 columns 
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You'll revel in the scenics of a whole year of 
records stretching out across your screen. 

You'll also delight in the new horizon of 80 
columns by 48 lines—double the lines 
you normally have. So your word processing 
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possible before! 

Another breath-taking view of UltraTerm—it 
delivers absolutely flicker-free, state of the art 
display with 8x12 character matrix giving 
you preposterously clear, readable charac¬ 
ters. Not only will you see more characters 
on your screen (a whopping 4096 possible), 
but they'll also be larger and more readable 
than the characters you read every day in 



Photo of actual-size 
characters on Apple 
Monitor III. 


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you can differentiate 
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UltraTerm.Come on over and enjoy the view. 
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UltraTerm features a built-in soft video switch and has complete 
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Apple lie, Apple III and Franklin. 

Apple and the Apple logo are registered trademarks of Apple 
Computer, Inc. 

CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. 

CIRCLE 141 ON READER SERVICE CARD 









































/s. 


<* c or , 
& 





CALSOFT 

Personal— Entertainment— Business 

SOFTWARE 



Low Discount Prices/Check Our Super Sale Prices 

Fast Convenient Service/Same day shipping on most orders 

Large Selection of Software/Call or Write for our FREE Catalog! 


We have all the late;.i 
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Call Toll Free: ( 800 ) 423-5290 In California: ( 213 ) 991-9641 






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List 

Price 

Our 

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. 24.00 

20.40 

Utility City . 

. 29.50 

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Apple Mechanic . 

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Pronto DOS . . 

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★ Double Take. 

. 34.95 

26.20 

BPI SYSTEMS 

General Ledger. 

. 395.00 

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The Arcade Machine. 

. 59.95 

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69.95 

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Spare Change. 

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. 44.95 

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PENGUIN Pnc'e 

Complete Graphics System. 69.95 

★ Graphics Magician . 59.95 

Transylvania. 19.95 

The Quest. 19.95 


Our 

Price 

59.45 

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HOME ACCOUNTANT 
74^95 56.20 


SIERRA ON-LINE 

Ulysses. 34.95 

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★ Screen Writer Professional . 199.95 

★ Ultima II . 59.95 

Frogger . 34.95 

The Artist. 79.95 

★ General Manager. 229.00 

Jawbreaker. 29.95 

Learning with Leeper. 34.95 

Dragon’s Keep. 29.95 

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Apple Cider Spider. 33.50 


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Type Attack. 39.95 33.95 

Repton . 39.95 33.95 

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Prisoner 2 . 


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250.00 

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CIRCLE 142 ON READER SERVICE CARD 































































































































































HARD HAT 

ACK 


Hard Hat Mack 
p I Electronic Arts 
I 2755 Campus Dr. 

San Mateo, CA 94403 
Mst Price: $35.00 
lUMjuires: 48K, He II + II 
lone disk drive. 

I IkCLE 796 ON READER 
IKK VICE CARD 

I lold on to your hard hats 
dikl make way for Mack, a 
hona fide blue-collar 
construction worker fueled 
by cupcakes and an 
unshakable belief in the 
work ethic. Mack works on 
.i skyscraper, but loose 
rivets, swinging girders, 
vicious vandals, nosy 

* >SHA inspectors, and an 
i >pen furnace threaten to 

I urn his project into a 
lowering inferno. This man 
of steel leaps five stories in 
.i single bound, tosses 
girders around like beer 

• .ms, scambles up and 
down hangirfg chains, and 
wrestles runaway riveters 
i«* * the ground floor. 

Hard Hat Mack, a 
frenetic arcade-style game, 
puts you in Mack’s steel- 
tned shoes. You maneuver 
lum across three sequential 
lereens of feverish activity, 

»in h more challenging than 
iIn last. Each structure is 


graphically superb. Mack, 
the good guy, wears a 
white hard hat. Vandals 
look like inmates in a punk 
rock asylum and Office of 
Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA) 
inspectors appear to place 
their thumbs in their ears 
and wiggle their hands to 
taunt him. Steam engines 
puff up and down, exposed 
wiring crackles with blue 
and orange electricity, and 
deadly flames flicker from 

^ If he fails to 
negotiate a 
fast-moving 
conveyor belt, 
he’s promptly 
electrocuted 
by the 
exposed 
wiring. 

a furnace. A catchy, 
driving beat accompanies 
Mack as he tiptoes between 
blobs of concrete and 
scurries out from under 
stamping machines. 

Handles Vandals 

In the first screen, Mack 
must install four sections 
of steel beams on four 
floors, grab the runaway 


riveter, and rivet the beams 
into place. He moves from 
floor to floor by dashing 
up and down chains, taking 
an elevator, or bouncing 
off a trampoline. Outwit¬ 
ting the OSHA inspector or 
the vandal is fairly easy, 
but loose rivets present a 
real danger as they bounce 
down through the structure. 
These random rivets are 
like guided missiles fixed 
on Mack’s head. A direct 
hit from one of these steel 
beanballs and Mack enters 
a graceful death pirouette. 

On the second screen, 
Mack must collect six tool 


boxes. He starts by darting 
between cement blobs and 
onto a conveyor belt, 
which brings him to a cen¬ 
tral girder that rises and 
descends three floors. 

Mack must be very careful 
jumping from girder to 
floor and back, for a mis¬ 
timed leap can cause him 
to fall to an inglorious 
death in the cement mixer. 
The most diabolical obsta¬ 
cle of the game are the pli¬ 
ers of death. They open 
and close rapidly, obligat¬ 
ing Mack to hop in and out 
only when the pincers are 
wide open. When the tool 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^95 

























































boxes are collected, Mack 
leaves the screen by leap¬ 
ing onto a conveyor belt, 
which whisks him to a 
moving electromagnet that 
picks him up by his hard 
hat. If he miscalculates the 
speed of the magnet, the 
belt tosses him into a fur¬ 
nace, where he bursts into 
a fireball before plummet¬ 
ing to his doom. 

On the third screen, 
Mack must collect six steel 
boxes from four floors and 
toss them into a rivet-mak¬ 
ing machine. He can again 
move from floor to floor 
by a central escalator, 
chains, or by bouncing off 
a pair of trampolines. 
Should Mack bungle a 
leap, he falls through the 
roof of a port-a-potty and 
lands with a splash. Van¬ 
dals or OSHA inspectors 
keep Mack on his steel- 
clad toes, and if he fails to 
negotiate a fast-moving 
conveyor belt, he’s 
promptly electrocuted by 
exposed wiring. 

If he completes the third 
task, Mack returns to the 
first screen, where he faces 
more vandals and OSHA 
inspectors and faster-falling 
rivets. 

Learn by Falling 

Hard Hat Mack can be 
played with joysticks or 
from the keyboard. Key¬ 
board controls are very re¬ 
sponsive, and the game al¬ 
lows you to choose which 
key performs a given ac¬ 
tion. The game also allows 
you to start at a higher lev¬ 
el screen, which is good 
for mastering the sinister 
pliers of death. 


My complaint is the 
lack of instructions. De¬ 
signers Michael Abbot and 
Matthew Alexander tell 
you how to move, but pro¬ 
vide only sketchy details 
on overcoming obstacles. 
They apparently prefer to 
let you learn from experi¬ 
ence. Many a less-than- 
dexterous Mack fell during 
the learning process. 

Hard Hat Mack is a fast 
and exciting game that will 
keep you riveted to your 
seat. Its apparently simple 
tasks challenge your re¬ 
flexes constantly. Hard 
Hat Mack towers over 
most arcade games and 
rates a full 100 stories. 

^FROGGER 

Frogger 

Sierra On-Line Inc. 
36575 Mudge Ranch 
Rd. 

Coarsegold, CA 93614 
List Price: $34.95 
Requires: 48K, Apple II, 
Apple II + , Apple He 
DOS 3.3, joysticks op¬ 
tional. 

CIRCLE 795 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Ah, the trials and tribula¬ 
tions of being a peace-lov¬ 
ing frog these days. It’s 
safer back home in the 
swamp. 

Consider this: Why 
would a frog cross the 
road? There are rampaging 
trucks and out-of-control 
cars zooming every which 
way, and not a CHiPs pa¬ 
trol in sight. Why, for that 
matter, would a frog want 
to cross the river? Oh, 
sure, there are some hospi¬ 


table logs on which to 
hitch a ride and even a few 
friendly turtles willing to 
offer a floating platform. 

ut watch out—there are 
snakes on the logs, the tur¬ 
tles sometimes decide to 
dive below the water, and 
there are carnivorous otters 
and hungry crocodiles. 

What frog would go 
through all this to get to a 
lily pad on the other side? 

Well, never mind the 
whys and wherefores. This 
is another dumb arcade 
game that defies explana¬ 
tion. It also happens to be 
a whole frog pond full of 
fun. Frogger is a first-rate 
translation of an arcade fa¬ 
vorite, complete with mu¬ 
sic, sound effects, and 
clever graphics. It has sur¬ 
vived its transition to the 
small screen of an Apple 
II. 

Frog No Chicken 

The point of the game is 
to maneuver your frog 
from the bottom of the 
screen to one of 5 lily pads 
at the top. In the first chal¬ 
lenge you have to zig-zag 
across five lanes of traffic. 
The lanes alternate direc¬ 
tion and move at varying 
speeds. Halfway across the 
screen is the bank of the 
river. Here you must shift 
gears and have your frog 
jump onto passing logs and 
turtles en route to the lily 
pads. 

The game is not easy 
and should appeal to all 
age levels. Perhaps best of 


all, Frogger is not a shoo! 
em-up or a beat-em-down i 
game. The frog zigs and 
zags to a nice little hop¬ 
ping sound; a mishap with 

Perhaps best 
of all, Frogger 
is not a 
shoot-em-up 
or a 

beat-em-down 

game. 

a truck yields a splat noise, 
and a bounce into the river 
produces an audible splash. 
There is also a clock; you 
get extra points for com¬ 
pleting a round quickly. 

The frog even has his own 
theme music to signal his 
first appearance on screen, 
the transition to a higher 
level of play, and his final 
passing. (I did, though, 
play the game enough to 
get tired of the music and 1 
sorely missed a control to 
shut off the sound—a fea¬ 
ture available on the IBM 
PC version of the same 
game. The absence of a si¬ 
lent mode also makes it 
difficult to make the boss 
think you’re pounding 
away busily at a VisiCalc 
spreadsheet instead of ne¬ 
gotiating the swamp.) 

Keyboard or Joystick 

The game can be played 
from the keyboard, with 
user-selectable keys for up, 




964 A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 












































































llown. left, and right, or 
Imiiii a joystick. I tested 
ilu I logger with the Apple 
!!<) joystick and found the 
h iponse sluggish and un- 
|in?di( table. From the key- 
huifttd, response was quick 
mill sure. I used the up and 
•lown cursor keys on the 
lln lor those movements 
uml the Z and X keys un- 
iln my left hand for left 
iiud right movement. On 
Apple II machines without 
r cursor keys, the user may 
choose whatever combina¬ 
tions are comfortable, per¬ 
haps even an adaptation of 
it diamond arrangement 
like WordStar’s E-S-X-D 
combination. 

The game can be 
Mopped during play by us¬ 
ing the Esc key, and play 
can be slowed by the shift 
and 1 combination. There 
In no choice of game levels 
or background colors—two 
options available on other 
machine versions of Frog- 
ger. The program is copy¬ 
protected and uses its own 
operating system. A regis¬ 
try of high scores on the 
disk is missing. You can 
t retain only the top rating 
’ for the day, until the power 
Is shut off. 

These small problems 
notwithstanding, a hopping 
good time can be had by 
all. Frogger has a leg up 
on most games brought 
down from the arcades to 
the home computer. 

►CHAMPIONSHIP 

GOLF 

Championship Golf 
Hayden Software 
600 Suffolk St. 

Lowell, MA 01853 
list Price: $24.95 
Requires: 48K, Apple II 
with Applesoft, 
disk drive. 

CIKCLE 799 ON READER 
NIUWICE CARD 


It is an experience that 
I lies the mettle of even the 
strongest person. It probes 
deeply into the core of 
youi consciousness and 
deeper still into the hidden 


passages of your subcon¬ 
scious, relentlessly seeking 
unsuspected weaknesses 
and character flaws that it 
can expose suddenly to a 
disapproving world. It can 
be a scourge, but it can 
also bring dreams of glory 
vividly to life. It can take 
you to the heights of ecsta¬ 
sy, where you will feel 
godlike, but it can also tor¬ 
ture you as if you were a 
soul in the pit of Hades. 

I am, of course, refer¬ 
ring to golf. 

Golf is a hard subject to 
write about unemotionally. 
It is a game you either hate 
or love and, though if you 
have the good sense to hate 
it from the very start, it is 
a game you can try once or 
twice and walk away from. 
For the rest of us, hating 
or loving the game is im¬ 
material. Once you are 
hooked on the game you 
play it, whether it is a de¬ 
light or a torment. 

Hayden Software’s 
Championship Golf man¬ 
ages with remarkable accu¬ 
racy to capture those as¬ 
pects of fun and frustration 
that characterize the game 
as it is actually played. 
Even more remarkable is 
that it is a simulation that 
is strictly strategic and re¬ 
quires no eye-hand skills. 

Championship Golf be¬ 
gins with a screen prompt 
that offers to display the 
rules. If you use this op¬ 
tion, ten screens that ex¬ 
plain how the game is 
played follow. As in real 
golf, the object is to get 
your ball from the tee to 
the hole in as few strokes 
as possible. Sounds simple, 
doesn’t it? It sounds even 
simpler when you consider 
that there is only one pen¬ 
alty situation in the entire 
game: one stroke is as¬ 
sessed when you hit your 
ball out of bounds. 

In your computer golf 
bag you have twenty clubs, 
including woods numbering 
from 1 to 9, nine irons, a 
pitching wedge and a sand 
wedge. To select any of 


no 


HOLE 1 LENGTH 159 PAR : 3 DIST. 108 ST. 
PLAYER #1, WHAT CLUB WILL YOU USE?* 


these clubs you use a sim¬ 
ple code. For example, if 
you want to use a 1 wood, 
you key in the code 1W. 
To make an approach shot 
with your 7 iron, you key 
in 71. In the booklet that 
comes with the game disk 
there is a handy chart that 
calculates the average dis¬ 
tance each club will send 
the ball when swung at full 
strength. 

Once you have read the 
rules you are prompted to 
select the number of play¬ 
ers—you can have as 
many as four in your par¬ 
ty—and your handicap, 
which is really a skill level 
rating of from one to eigh¬ 
teen. You are now ready to 
stride up to the first tee. 

Actually, the computer 
does the striding by bring¬ 
ing the first hole to you on 
the video screen in a high- 
resolution graphic showing 
the hole from the top and 
in profile. The in-bounds 
area is indicated by a green 
outline. When you shoot a 
ball that hits the line, you 
incur the extra stroke pen¬ 
alty. The tee is marked by 
two orange dots; your ball, 
which is not marked on 
screen as you tee off, lies 
between those dots. At the 
other end of the hole is a 
small green circle with a 
little dot in the center 
marking the cup; this, of 
course, is the green. Flank¬ 
ing the green will be one 
or more irregular orange 
blots, denoting the sand- 
trap. Once you know 
where you are, it’s just a 
matter of figuring out how 


to get your electronic club 
out of your electronic golf 
bag, size up the shot and 
hit the ball. 

To do this you look at 
the bottom of the screen, 
where a text window gives 
the number of the hole you 
are on, the length of the 
hole in yards, and the 
number of strokes you 
have used so far. You will 
also see the prompt, 
“Player 1, it is your turn. 
Player 1, what club will 
you use?” If you key in a 
“C” you will be taken to a 
command menu. Options 
on that menu allow you to 
flash the ball on the graph¬ 
ic display, display the club 
performance chart, display 
the scorecard, and end the 
game. 

With the ball flashed 
and spotted, the next task 
is to decide how hard you 
want to hit it. Text window 
prompts offer you from 1 
to 10 factors of strength. 
This choice will determine 
how far the ball will fly 
when it’s been hit. Study 
the layout of the hole care¬ 
fully. Sometimes it is wiser 
to use less strength to keep 
the ball in bounds. 

Now that you know 
what club you are using, 
where the ball is, and how 
hard you want to hit it, 
you must decide which 
way to hit it. If you re¬ 
member high school geom¬ 
etry, you’ll recall that a 
circle is divided into 360 
degrees. So is the display. 
The ball is at the center of 
the circle, north is at 360 
degrees, east at 90 degrees, 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^97 




























£>EHERftl BISP1RV. S >H2? DISF1RV. 

* >L*NIT DlBfLRY, '<D>RBERBi 0? E : 


south at 180 degrees, and 
west at 270 degrees. To 
answer the prompt “Which 
direction? (0-360),’’ you 
decide where you want the 
ball to land, calculate the 
direction from the location 
of the ball, and key in the 
value in degrees. 

In play it can be surpris¬ 
ingly difficult to figure out 
in degrees the exact direc¬ 
tion that the ball must trav¬ 
el to reach the pin. On the 
other hand, it is not at all 
difficult to land the ball out 
of bounds. If you do, the 
computer will courteously 
place the ball where it 
went out and assess you an 
extra stroke. When you are 
in the command mode you 
can opt for a current total 
of your strokes, broken 
down by individual holes, 
back and front nines and 
match totals. This can be a 
real advantage because for 
some golfers addition is the 
hardest part of the game. 
There is, by the way, no 
way you can cheat on your 
scorecard, a feature that 
may win only faint praise 
from real golfers. 

Assuming you’ve man¬ 
aged to get within a short 
iron’s distance from the 
green, say from 14 to 25 
yards, you must select an 
iron to chip onto the green 
with. Picking, for example, 
a 9 iron or your pitching 
wedge (coded 101 on the 
selection chart), you have 
to decide how strong your 
swing must be. Recall that 
a pitching wedge is rated at 
an average of 110 yards at 
full strength and you may 
decide that a force of 5 
98 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


points out of 10 will be 
sufficient. Fine. You set 
the direction and the ball 
arcs gracefully on the vid¬ 
eo display . . . right over 
the green and out of 
bounds. You have to re¬ 
member that the distances 
quoted on the charts are 
averages and that the club 
may perform under or over 
rated levels. 

A new screen displays 
the green as a green circle, 
the cup as a black square 
and the ball as a black dot. 
The computer has already 
selected the putter; you 
have to select the force 
level and direction. If you 
hit the ball too hard, too 
soft or slightly off course, 
you will see it lip the cup 
and roll away. 

In Championship Golf 
Hayden has created a simu¬ 
lation which, though it 
calls for no athletic or eye- 
hand skills, has captured 
the feeling of the actual 
game. Every hole is laid 
out differently, for variety, 
and details like the sand- 
traps, the potential of chip¬ 
ping out or making a hole- 
in-one add to the sensation 
that you are really playing 
golf. 

Perhaps the final test is 
whether or not you can be 
hooked on the simulation 
as you might be on the real 
game. The answer, I’m 
afraid, is yes. It was very 
hard to get away from the 
game long enough to write 
this profile. In fact, I think 
I’ll drop what I’m doing 
right now and try to fit in a 
quick nine holes before 
lunch. Fore! 


computer can play the 
Brotherhood role. 

The game begins with a 
menu that allows you to 
select a two player or soli 
taire mode and one of six 
scenarios. Once you’ve 
chosen the game you want 
and indicated the level of 
difficulty (from 1 to 4), 
you begin one of the most 
enjoyable aspects of the 
game, the ship’s design, in 
which you tailor a warship 
to meet your specific 
needs. You start with the 
hull, picking from 5 sizes 
ranging from corvette to 
dreadnought. The larger 
the size you select, the 
more space you have inside 
the ship to install weapon¬ 
ry, star drive, marines, ro¬ 
bot fighters, and so on. 
Limitations and Compro¬ 
mise 

Building a starship is a 
real exercise in compro¬ 
mise. Ideally, you would 
want a ship that is very 
fast and fully-armored, that 
can launch every conceiv¬ 
able type of weapon, and 
that has plenty of room for 
marines in case you feel 
like beaming a platoon 
over to the enemy’s bridge 
in the middle of the battle. 
Unfortunately, you will 
never have enough space, 
no matter what size ship 
you decide to build, to 
pack in all the weapons 
and extras that you’d like. 
You must sacrifice speed 
for weapons, the number 
of weapons for cargo, and 


CIRCLE 798 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


If humans ever take their 
wars into space, battles 
will be fought at mind-bog¬ 
gling speed. A command¬ 
ing officer will have only a 
split second to make judge¬ 
ments that will decide the 
fate of his ship and of his 
crew. All that’s in the fu¬ 
ture. Today’s space battles 
are all fought in simula¬ 
tion—may it ever be so— 
and even a game designed 
for fast play like 
The Cosmic Balance moves 
along at a stately pace. 
Good thing, because this 
rapid fire game takes time 
to master. 

Cosmic Balance is a 
wargame from Strategic 
Simulations Inc., set in the 
distant future. The scenario 
is a conflict between two 
star empires, the Alliance 
and the Brotherhood. Four 
ship-to-ship battles, a plan¬ 
et bombardment, and an 
invasion are simulated. In 
each of the scenarios, the 


► COSMIC 
BALANCE 


The Cosmic Balance 
Strategic Simulations 
Inc. 

465 Fairchild Ave., 

Suite 108 

Mountain View, CA 
94043 
List Price: $39.95 
Requires: 48K, Apple II + , 
Apple II with Apple soft, 
disk drive. 


































































lit «ni. The best designs for 
* hi Ii Hcenario will emerge 
h!i» i you’ve had practice 
ili*nigning ships and trying 
rtunu out against the com- 
fiuitir opposition. 


Play begins 
with the 
orders 
phase, in 
which you 
set the 
course and 
speed of 
the ship. 


The range of weaponry 
h wide. There are light 
and heavy seekers, guided 
hoinbs that home in on en- 
nuy ships; fighters, robot 
i*rafts that also home in, at¬ 
tacking over and over until 
ilicy or the enemy are de¬ 
stroyed; three grades of 
pliasers, energy beam 
Weapons; photon torpe- 
iloes, plasma torpedoes and 
ilisruptors, which are long 
nmge weapons. Your main 
defensive weapons are 
belts, the small craft that 
orbit your ship to intercept 
seekers and fighters, and 
electronic countermeasure 
nystems. 

Ship design can be the 
longest part of the game 
because the tempation to 
linker is irresistable. Even¬ 
tually, when you have the 
perfect ship, you can save 
(bat design for recall in fu¬ 
ture games by using a 
scratch disk, which the 
('osmic Balance program 
will initial for you. 

Milking Your Moves 

With the ship design 
set. the next phase is the 
([nine itself. Play begins 
With the orders phase, in 
Which you set the course 
mid speed of the ship (it al¬ 
ways begins with your ship 
lacing the oncoming enemy 


at a speed of zero), acti¬ 
vate electronic countermea¬ 
sures and fire weapons. 
Using commands from a 
special menu, you can re¬ 
fer quickly to maps show¬ 
ing your position relative 
to the enemy’s and calcu¬ 
late your future position 
based on your latest course 
changes. The move you 
plan is divided into 16 time 
points. You can begin a 
course change at any one 
of those points and fire 
your weapons at any time 
point. During the orders 
phase you can also trans¬ 
port marines or launch 
guided weapons. You may 
also use this phase of the 
game to repair damage to 
the protective screens by 
recharging them with en¬ 
ergy. 

When you’ve completed 
your move, the computer 
displays a graphic of the 
battle scene. You select the 
ship to attack and the at¬ 
tack’s scale. Manuevers of 
the opposition ships and 
the firing are represented 
one time point at a time. If 
there is no firing during a 
specific time point, the fol¬ 
lowing points will be dis¬ 
played immediately, giving 
the graphic an animated 
look. If there is firing, the 
graphic will pause until 
your next keystroke, allow¬ 
ing you time to evaluate 
what has happened. 

After each weapon is 
fired a message will appear 
on the screen announcing 
results, including destruc¬ 
tion of enemy targets. Vic¬ 
tory points are displayed at 
the end of the game. If one 
side has been wiped out, 
the winner is obvious, but 
victory points are handy 
when the game ends with 
both sides still operating 
but damaged. Points are 
calculated on the basis of 
damage inflicted and, if the 
battle was in an unfriendly 
sector, the ability of the in¬ 
vading ship to escape. 

SSI promotes Cosmic 
Balance and the other 
games in the Rapid Fire se¬ 


ries as action-oriented, 
fast-playing games. The 
company claims that a 
complete game of Cosmic 
Balance can be played in 
just ten minutes. I was able 
to play just that fast a 
game, but only by using 
saved ship designs from a 
scratch disk, playing a 
computer opponent, and 
bringing several hours of 


Microsoft 

Bellevue, WA 98004 
(206) 828-8080 
Price: $29.95 
Requires: Apple II or lie. 
Uses 48K or 64K re¬ 
spectively. Color moni- 
tor optional. 

CIRCLE 760 ON READER SER¬ 
VICE CARD 


As the world sports 
community gears up for 
next year’s Olympics in 
Los Angeles, armchair ath¬ 
letes may find their niches 
in Decathlon , a game 
based on the rigorous, 10- 
event track and field com¬ 
petition originated by the 
ancient Greeks. 

The popular game has 
been on the market since 
1980 and is an ingenious 
suite of 10 computer games 
patterned after the original 
decathlon. As we will see 
in next year’s Olympics, 
the decathlon competition 
is among the most illustri¬ 
ous events and, like the 
original, the modem event 
takes two full days to com¬ 
plete. The computerized 
simulation condenses the 
decathlon into a game 
which can be played within 
one or two hours. 

The publisher of De¬ 
cathlon !, Microsoft Corpo¬ 
ration of Bellevue, Wash¬ 
ington, has adopted all the 
events of the decathlon for 
its simulated version—ev¬ 
erything from the 100-Me¬ 
ter Dash to the 1,500-Me- 


prior experience with Cos¬ 
mic Balance. 

The key is experience. 
Luckily, Cosmic Balance is 
an engrossing game that 
will permit you to acquire 
so much experience that 
you soon will be dashing 
off fast, action-packed 
games with skill and daring 
of a steel-nerved starship 
captain. 


ter Run. The other compe¬ 
titions are the Long Jump, 
the Shot-Put, the High 
Jump, the 400-Meter Dash, 
the 110-Meter Hurdle, the 
Discus Throw, the Pole 
Vault, and the Javelin. 

As in the real-world sit¬ 
uation, Decathlon must be 
played against actual oppo¬ 
nents, and, as in the Olym¬ 
pics, brute strength and 
physical skill will not, by 
themselves, produce a win¬ 
ning score. In addition to 
agility, the player must 
have a series of strategies 
and be especially keen in 
eye-hand coordination. 

Although the demands 
of the game are high, it is 
designed for the entire 
family. To accommodate 
different abilities, the 
opening menu offers the 
beginner means of practic¬ 
ing without an opponent. 

And, to fit into the family 
budget, it retails for 
$29.95. The game requires 
strong keyboard skills and 
quick thinking as well as 
paddle and joystick dexteri¬ 
ty. To win, the player must 
push buttons, twirl knobs 
and press keyboard selec¬ 
tions appropriate to the 10 
different events. 

Physical Education and 
Otherwise 

In keeping with ethical 
game design, Decathlon 
draws on many skills. By 
exercising eye-hand coordi¬ 
nation, the game provides 
a comprehensive computer 

A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 ^99 


►HOW TO WIN 
THE DECATHLON 



























orientation, a valuable by¬ 
product for educators. 

When trying Decathlon 
in a schoolroom full of 12- 
year-olds, I noticed that 
children normally reluctant 
to use a computer were ea¬ 
ger to participate. 

1 also have noticed that 
Decathlon promotes in¬ 
creased participation from 
students who have had 
computer arcade and joy¬ 
stick experience, but no ac¬ 
tual keyboard skills. Instead 
of the usual zapping of 
bugs and shooting down of 
Martians, the children using 
the keyboard for the first 
time were, for the first 
time, playing a game appli¬ 
cable to their world. 

The game is a two-di¬ 
mensional simulation of 
real track and field skills, 
and it does approximate the 
human dimension within 
the restrictive confines of 
the programming art for 
the 6502 chip, the BASIC 
language, and the Apple. 

The designer actually 
consulted texts and refer¬ 
ence books on education, 
sports, medicine, and relat¬ 
ed issues while writing the 
game. 

Decathlon seems best 
played on a high-resolution 
color monitor. And, al¬ 
though it can be used on 
many systems, my family 
plays it on an Apple II + 
which has a color monitor. 
Knowing the Field 

The high quality of the 
color graphics is one of the 
many pluses of the simulat¬ 
ed game. They first show 
up after booting the sys¬ 
tem. Then the manufactur¬ 


er’s logo and product ban¬ 
ner appear on the screen 
and later the traditional 
five-ring Olympic insignia 
shows up. The graphics are 
accompanied by a synthe¬ 
sized music sequence of 
the Olympic theme song. 
You’ll get used to the tune 
soon enough. Because it 
plays each time you boot 
the system and it can’t be 
shut off, the jingle can be 
annoying to listen to. 

After the music stops, 
you and your opponents 
can then select from the 
log menu whether you 
want to play or practice. If 
you decide to play a game, 
you then select the number 
of players and type their 
names. 

Ideally, the game is set 
up for two players but the 
software is written to han¬ 
dle statistics and scores for 
as many as six. If there are 
more than two players, be 
warned that the game be¬ 
comes increasingly lengthy 
and complex. The program 
accepts only two players at 
a time and eliminates com¬ 
petitors for each event as 
the session progresses. Ad¬ 
ditionally, because of the 
pace of the game, playing 
with three or more people 
sometimes can create an 
aggravating situation. 

Next, the game’s name 
must be selected. The 
name will be the one used 
by the system to keep 
scores and to move players 
around. It cannot be 
changed after the competi¬ 
tion begins. Selection of 
the name is up to the play¬ 
ers, of course. Examples 


used in recent games are: 
David and Goliath, The 
Vatican and Bulgaria, Ap¬ 
ple and IBM and, for a 

match, Ireland, 
Canada, and Holland. 

After the players are 
logged on, the program 
tells them what they need 
to perform each sequence. 
And They’re Off! 

On the 100-Meter Dash, 
the first event, an oval 
track appears and each 
player takes a position as 
designated by the screen. 
The word READY then 
flashes on the screen and, 
after a momentary pause, 
the image of a firing gun 
indicates the game has be¬ 
gun. The computer’s 
speaker emits a slight burp¬ 
ing noise as the gun sounds 
a bang. 

To move the athletes 
along the computer track, 
the player must press the 
designated cursor keys in 
rapid, rhythmic up-and- 
down motions. After an 
event ends, scores and 
standings are compiled and 
the game automatically 
moves on to the Long 
Jump, the next event. 

From the Inside 

Rather than review each 
event as it occurs, it may 
be more helpful to look at 
the game as programmers 
see it. 

In both the game and 
the real Olympic event, the 
10 parts can be broken 
down into three groups. 


They are running, jumping, 
and throwing events. 

Because of this break 
down, the programmers 
needed to design three sub 
programs rather than 10. 
Using the three fundamen¬ 
tal environments, they fit 
each of the events into the 
broader Olympic categories 
of throwing, running and 
jumping. 

The three basic environ¬ 
ments in place, the pro¬ 
grammers simply wrote 
overlays to modify each 
event in keeping with its 
appropriate length, geome¬ 
try, and velocity. 

The running events use 
a track and preset parame¬ 
ters, but the throwing and 
jumping are set up from in¬ 
dividual factors determined 
by the competitors. When 
a player sets an option, 
such as run-up speed in the 
Long Jump, the program 
executes accordingly. The 
player is actually program 
ming the system indirectly. 
Running Blues 

The running events have 
the fewest options and de¬ 
mand very little strategy. 
With the exception of the 
110-meter High Hurdle, 
which requires 2 paddles 
and 2 buttons, the running 
games can be tedious. And 
yet, like running, the simu¬ 
lated sequences demand the 
most physical exertion. 

Generally, smooth, al¬ 
ternating keystrokes at the 
designated cursor keys usu- 


1004 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 

































































I 



UAULT ABORTED— 

YOU MISSED THE UAULTING BOX. 

PRESS OHM TO CONTINUE Hi FOR STANDINGS. 


nlly win the race. This is 
hut m the 100-Meter Dash 
hiiI acceptable in the 400- 
Mi'lcr Run. But because 
llm 1,500-Meter Run is at 
Mu* md of a 10-event se¬ 
ntience, it soon becomes a 
linger -stubbing marathon. 
Iliis can drain the enjoy- 
mm lit from the game. 

Unlike running, which 
inxcs the legs and lungs the 
most. Decathlon can cause 
lingers and the keyboard to 
poop out after four full 
laps at the cursor controls. 

Of the 4 running events 
iml the 3 exclusive jump¬ 
ing competitions, only the 
100 Meter Hurdle com- 
i Hines both activities. In the 
[Anie simulation, the 110- 
Meter High Hurdle is 
played with 2 paddle ac- 
eessories. Either the joy¬ 
stick or rheostat part of the 
paddle is used. Only the 
buttons, which control one 
of the runner’s legs, are 
pressed. To propel the sim¬ 
ulated Olympic athlete 
along the course, as depic¬ 
ted on the screen, the play¬ 
er must press the buttons 
smoothly and in proper 
running sequence. Simulta¬ 
neously, he must hit both 
buttons as the screen ath¬ 
lete encounters each hur¬ 
dle. Pressing both buttons 
causes the simulated runner 
to leap from stride and fly 
over the hurdles. By using 
the back-and-forth pumping 
motion, the runner will re¬ 
sume stride. If the player 


hits both buttons too soon, 
the runner leaps too quick¬ 
ly, often landing on top of 
a hurdle. If the player trig¬ 
gers the leap too late, the 
runner can hit a hurdle and 
knock it down. Three hur¬ 
dles down means disquali¬ 
fication from that event 
with a null score. 

Sky’s the Limit 

The Long Jump, High 
Jump, and Pole Vault are 
the three jumping events. 
To set a jumping event in 
Decathlon , the player must 
estimate his run-up velocity 
and set the jumping point 
and angle, accordingly. 
Many prompts on the 
screen aid this. 

When setting the veloci¬ 
ty, the computer runner 
pauses. Then, when the 
player hits the key, the ath¬ 
lete’s image enters the field 
of view. To then create a 
jump, the player must plant 
the athlete’s foot by manip¬ 
ulating one key and send 
the Olympian into the air 
using another key. 

To achieve this simula¬ 
tion, the game designers 
have included a fast-mov¬ 
ing protractor module as a 
subroutine. In each jump¬ 
ing event, the player must 
judge angle and velocity. 

In so doing, he gets a les¬ 
son in practical physics. 

The best tip here is al¬ 
ways to use maximum run¬ 
up speeds and be sure to 
know where to set the 
jumper’s foot or the pole. 


Also, be sure to pause be¬ 
tween the set foot signal 
and the protractor thrust. 
The length of the pause 
will allow the protractor to 
unwind a few more de¬ 
grees. Too long a pause 
will cause the jumper to 
crash into the bar. One too 
short will send the jumper 
flying straight up in the air 
without clearing the bar, 
only to fall flat on the 
hard, cold runway. 

In all events, each play¬ 
er gets three chances. But 
in the jumping events, the 
top player can set the bar 
at any height to challenge 
the others. 

Three Throws 

The three throwing 
events also call on the pro¬ 
tractor but require the spe¬ 
cial degrees of adjustment 
found only on paddles. 

In the Shot-Put, two 
screens are used. The set¬ 
up screen shows a close-up 
of a male figure preparing 
for the event. The program 
commands the player to set 
the two paddles to zero and 
explains that the event will 
start after one or both of 


set and the arm to unwind. 
The player must then re¬ 
turn to the upper arm mo¬ 
tion for a final thrust. 

Once the final thrust is 
made, the screen switches 
to a wider view, and the 
player sees the actual path 
of the shot-put relative to 
the pit. 

Many funny things can 
go wrong here. The most 
frequent blunder is to drop 
the shot-put either behind 
the athlete or directly on 
his toe. More embarrass¬ 
ingly is to throw the shot 
straight up, only to watch 
it fall on the athlete’s head. 

The Javelin requires the 
player to set a foot and use 
the protractor to judge dis¬ 
tance, while controlling the 
spear and setting the angle 
before the throw. 

The Discus event is 
based on the same simula¬ 
tion principle, but the field 
of view is longer, and the 
player is required to turn 
the athlete’s body on the 
screen. 

At the Scoreboard 

Remember that the com¬ 
puter game tries to stay 



7h £-0?r 
LINE 


YOU JUMPED AT A 49-DEGREE ANGLE 
FOR A DISTANCE OF 355 
PRESS M3M TO CONTINUE ■■ FOR STANDINGS 


the knobs are rotated. 

The player must then 
estimate an x-y axis, 
which simulates the upper 
forearm action of the 
graphically reproduced ath¬ 
lete on the screen. The 
trick here is to start the up¬ 
per arm in motion slowly, 
then move to the forearm. 
This will cause the angle to 


within the scoring parame¬ 
ters of the true Olympic 
event. Like the sport, the 
player can win the decath¬ 
lon without being the high 
scorer in any of the indi¬ 
vidual competitions. 

Aside from the game’s 
few flaws, Decathlon is 
well designed, educational, 
and fun to play. + 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M01 






























An Apple computer 
analyzes blood, measures 
medicine, helps 
teach medical students 
and more 


The Apple II had just hit the market 
when Dr. Ronald Bash caught his first 
glimpse of it. The pale plastic typewrit¬ 
er-like gadget fascinated most people, 
but Bash had trouble taking it serious- 

iy- 

“I thought it was just a game with a 
keyboard, and a very unprofessional 
keyboard, at that. They had Little Brick 
Out running and the graphics capability 
was nice, but it’s all bells and whistles, I 
thought; lots of icing on the cake and 
really not much substance,” he said with 
a smile during a recent interview. 

Bash entered the home computer 
scene with serious intentions, but was 
not adverse to a bit of recreation on the 
tube. Still, spending several hundred 
dollars on a glorified pong game made 
little sense to him. 

SOL Brother 

The New York-born doctor’s love 
affair with computers began some 9 
years ago when his interest was sparked 
by a couple of pioneering computer pub¬ 
lications. He took the plunge and bought 
a 32K SOL 20 that boasted an 8080 pro¬ 
cessor and was “solidly built, clearly 
something one could do very serious 
things with, if one wanted to, and so I 
bought it for doing very serious things.” 
Today, the SOL 20 is an extinct species, 
but Bash, who collects fossils and has a 
passion for dinosaurs, keeps it around 
and affords it as much reverence as he 
would a favorite protoceratops. 

“It’s still a nice machine. I used the 
SOL for a long time, and this is absolute 
heresy, but I used it primarily as one 
would a bicycle with training wheels,” 
he said as he nodded affectionately 
toward the machine. 

In the mid-1970s there was virtually 
102 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 








































































































































F*. 


mianon s 


no software for microcomputers on the 
market, but early home computer own¬ 
ers soon found themselves probing the 
mysteries of programming. It was not 
long before Bash learned BASIC well 
enough to communicate with his SOL. 

“The programs I use don’t require 
any gigantic speed so I continue to write 
in BASIC. I have a fleeting acquaintance 
with Fortran, and an absolutely peripher¬ 
al acquaintance with Pascal, which I just 
can’t seem to get into, but BASIC 
remains my primary language,’’ he 
said. 

Bash practices internal medicine at 
Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 
Hematology and oncology are his sub¬ 
specialties, so his first program was not 
Wumpus or Tic-Tac-Toe , but a more 
practical effort that diagnoses the symp¬ 
toms of patients with anemia. It worked 
well on the SOL, but, ironically, it was 
on the “game with a keyboard’’ that it 
later became even better. 

Bash likes to recall his near-acciden¬ 
tal switch from the SOL to the Apple. 

“Feeding one’s computer new fea¬ 
tures is a never-ending task, and when I 
happened to be passing a computer store 
in Manhattan, I walked in with the inten¬ 
tion of buying something for my SOL. 
That was when I saw the Apple and 
made a quick decision to buy it. I still 
thought of it as a toy, and I purchased it 
as such,’’ he said. 

After playing around with his Apple 
II for about a week, Bash decided to put 
it to a test and see if it was capable of real 
computing. There was no Applesoft 
BASIC yet, so he experimented with 
Integer and was so pleased with the 
result that his SOL soon started to gather 
dust. Not long after he transformed his 
Apple II into an Apple II + by replacing 
the Integer ROMs on the motherboard 
with Applesoft ROMs. Then Bash creat¬ 
ed an enhanced Applesoft version of his 
anemia diagnostics program, (see Figure 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M03 


Figure 1: Digitized image of a blood smear taken 
through a microscope. 






















































































or recreation Bash also 
occasionally creates images 
of dinosaurs on his Apple. 


2). Introduction of an Apple disk system 
made more improvements possible, and 
the process of upgrading continues. 

“It is still a very simple diagnostic 
program, and its purpose is not so much 
to diagnose as it is to help the user devel¬ 
op a logical approach to diagnosis,” he 
pointed out. 

Medical Diagnostics 

Since then, Bash, who recently traded 
in his Apple II + for a He because, he 
says, it has a serious keyboard, has writ¬ 
ten more complicated programs to help 
in his work as a practitioner and teacher 
of medicine. 

“I’ve written programs to use as 
teaching tools, but I am particularly 
interested in creating programs that 
allow me to do things that help my 
patients, tasks that I would not have done 
myself, only because it would have been 
very difficult. There is one particular 
program for patients with a particular 
type of malignancy called myeloma that 
I use occasionally. It allows me to quan¬ 
titate the size of a tumor by inputing cer¬ 
tain data from their blood tests, (see Fig¬ 
ure 3). I could have done it another way, 
with a lot of time, patience, and a big 
calculator with all kinds of functions on 
it, but it would have taken very long, we 
would not have had hard copy, and we 
would not have been able to graph out a 
trend to see if my therapy is working. 
With the Apple, it’s a question of just 
putting in the data—to a certain extent, 
it is really a simple-minded program that 
floats data into some regression equa¬ 
tions, but it allows me to use another 
measurement to gauge my patient’s 
response to chemotherapy.” 

While there are thousands of com¬ 
mercial programs that will run on an 
Apple, most medical programs are still 
written for larger computers. Bash is 
appalled by the high prices that such fun¬ 
damental programs as Harvard’s ME- 
DUS/A command. 

“SuperCalc or Visicalc they ain’t,” 
he says. “In terms of the expertise 
required to write them, these are incred- 
104 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


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ibly trivial programs. One such program 
that I know of is designed for people in 
medical research. It stores and prints out 
data in a coherent form, and does very 
simple-minded statistical manipulations. 
The amazing thing about this is not the 
program itself, but the price they ask for 
it—thousands and thousands of dol¬ 
lars.” 

Even more amazing, of course, is that 
such demands are met, and if it proves 
anything it is that some people still have 
a lot to learn when it comes to comput¬ 
ers. Bash told how he was contacted 
recently by a clinical researcher of the 
Clinical Research Center at Albert Ein¬ 
stein. 

“He had already budgeted $250,000 
and wanted advice on what would be rea¬ 
sonable to buy, so I said ‘Listen, why 
don’t you just go out and buy an Apple II 
or an Apple III, or an IBM PC, and tell 
me what you want—I’ll write the soft- 


Figure 2: An anemia diagnostic program writtc 
by Dr. Bash. 

Figure 3: Myeloma program written by Dr. Bash 
The program quantitates the size of a patient ' 
tumor. 

Figure 4: An illustration taken from a medical text 
book by use of a Dithertizer. 

Figure 5: Conceptual drawings of formed element 
in the blood drawn with a Gibson LPSII light pc 
and a Koala Pad. 


Figure 6: Examples of dinosaur images produce 
on Bash’s Apple. 


ware.’ People have no conception o 
these things at all. They really get suck 
ered into buying these extraordinai 
machines for relatively simple tasks. 

“Though it’s considered heretical l< 
admit, there is some cookbook medicim 
in oncology, to the extent that if a patien 
comes in with a malignancy, you have , 
bunch of recipes you can choose from 
With the Apple, I have been able to cal 
up a menu and decide on the recipe 



































































" ant to apply to the patient. After I input 
"iv data, the Apple calculates the dos- 
ijts of medication required by the 
I' Hicnt, the frequency with which that 
mnlication is to be given, and what mod- 
'i" Ml ions in dosage are necessary when 

• li. inevitable toxic reactions to chemo- 
•I'napy occur. That is not a gigantically 
"phisticated or helpful thing in the vast 

• luurie of things, but I think it may be 

• * Iul for training students so that they 

• hi compare their clinical judgement 
illi what is reasonable and accepted as 
•iicct—as much as anything is ever 
•meet, as much as there is ever one 
•ir.vver to any medical question. Thus, it 
•"iv ultimately be a learning tool, but the 
•tin i nice thing about a program like that 

11 ml it allows you to generate and print 
"i ;i complete therapeutic plan for a 
pul lent.” 

ttnllcal Education 

11 is not surprising to find that Bash 


has a special interest in the Apple as an 
educational tool. He spends some of his 
time teaching at Albert Einstein and at 
the New York State University at Stony- 
brook. 

“I am working on an educational pro¬ 
gram that prompts you but, as yet, 
doesn’t test you. I’ve actually been 
working on it on and off for several years 
and, again, the program is very trivial, 
but something like this is useful as a 
teaching tool, though I am not sugges¬ 
ting that we replace medical educators. 
This is where the Apple’s graphics capa¬ 
bility becomes particularly useful. Right 
now this is a bare bones program, but 
when it becomes more elaborate, it will 
elicit data, ask questions and make infer¬ 
ences based on the student’s answers. 
Then it will tell why it made that infer¬ 
ence, what it means, and how it relates to 
the medical problem that is being 
worked through. Ultimately, when I 
have the time, I am going to integrate 
this kind of thing with graphics. Hema¬ 
tology, the study of blood, is a visually- 
oriented science. Essentially, it’s a lot of 
microscope work, and at one point I 
thought about simply attaching some¬ 
thing to a microscope, focusing on a 
patient’s blood, and digitizing the im¬ 
age (see Figure 1). I tried it, but the 
images weren’t very good, because the 
Apple’s resolution just isn’t good 
enough to give you an accurate idea of 
what the microscope sees.” 

For his experiment Bash used the 
Dithertizer II (it cannot be employed 
with the lie, “but they’re working on 
it”), a peripheral he otherwise praises. 
He said the peripheral is great for snap¬ 
ping very elaborate illustrations from 
medical textbooks because the image 
can be stored or modified, (see Figure 
4). 

Living Color 

Bash gets most excited about two new 
graphics tools that will yield color illus¬ 
trations, the Gibson LPS II light pen and 
the Koala Pad, (see Figure 5). “The 
Apple is well-suited for creating educa¬ 


tional materials requiring illustrations. 

I’m pleased and taken by these two 
devices because they really work and 
with a little bit of patience you can create 
very acceptable conceptual drawings of 
what formed elements in the blood are 
supposed to look like. Until recently it 
was very difficult for someone like me to 
do this sort of thing. A small guy not 
working for an outfit with a zillion 
Apples and all kinds of expensive 
peripherals had a hard time creating 
graphics acceptable for education but 
that is no longer true. Now I can sit down 
and grind out quality graphics.” 

Good pictures, even on a computer, 
require artistic talent, and Bash has his 
share of that. He is an amateur potter 
who has a wheel and kiln in a workshop 
at home. He refers to ceramics as his 
abiding passion. For recreation Bash 
also occasionally creates images of dino¬ 
saurs on his Apple, (see Figure 6). But 
mostly the new graphics devices will be 
used to create visual aids. 

Package Polishing 

Has he thought of marketing any of his 
programs? 

“Yes, that is something I would con¬ 
sider seriously, but they are not as pol¬ 
ished as I would wish them to be before 
inflicting them on the world,” he said. 

He can recall hearing about but not 
seeing an oncology package written for 
the TRS-80 Model HI. 

“Other than that, there is, to my 
knowledge, no microcomputer program 
commercially available that would help 
people in an oncology or hematology 
practice. I suppose there must be other 
doctors out there writing programs. I 
know that there are probably hundreds of 
doctors with Apples, and I often recom¬ 
mend them to my colleagues. One 
recently responded ‘No, what do I need a 
computer for?’ He just bought one a 
month-and-a-half ago and now he is also 
totally hooked. It’s difficult not to 
become hard-core about your comput¬ 
er—there are people who can, but I’ve 
never met one.” + 

A-f MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M05 


























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► SOFTWARE/BY PATTY WINTER 


MIXING 

WORDS AND NUMBERS 

lhe Apple III Sophisticated Operating 
'iystem (SOS) allows you to load VisiCalc files into 
Apple Writer reports—and more. 

I ____ 


^ ou bought your Apple III to save time 
•mil effort, but are you taking full advan- 
«<ige of its capabilities? If you are enter¬ 
ing information into three different pro¬ 
grams to have it output in three different 
forms, you are wasting the resources the 
computer is designed to help save. 

Many Apple III programs are 
n I nipped to work together to prevent 
' needless repetition. This article will 
■how you how to bring financial data 
Irom VisiCalc into a report created with 
Apple Writer , and how to use Quick File 
j i n formation along with an Apple Writer 
form letter to produce completely per¬ 
sonalized direct-mail letters. Pay atten- 
non to the phrase “completely personal¬ 
ized”: it means that the body of the letter 
can make reference to the person’s 
, name, company, title, department, fa¬ 
vorite ice cream and whatever else you 
want to highlight. It’s up to you. 

This time-saving wizardry is brought 

10 you courtesy of the Apple III Sophis- 
ia nted Operating System (SOS). SOS 

• an convert a data file from one program 
Into a format compatible with another. In 

• •nr examples, SOS converts the Visi- 
< ale and Quick File files into standard 
\pple Writer text files. 

To do these experiments, you’ll need 
| m\ different diskettes. (Assuming that 
you’re already comfortable with the 
^nation of these three individual pro- 
Mins, here are the diskettes. 

• Apple Writer III Program Diskette 

• VisiCalc III Program Diskette 

• VisiCalc Sampler (included with 

1 1 liCale III) 

• Quick File III Boot and Program 


Diskettes 

• Quick File III Sample Files Diskette 
(included with Quick File III) 

• A blank SOS-formatted diskette. 

To keep the instructions simpler, 
assume that you have an external disk 
drive with your Apple III system. If you 
don’t you’ll have to pay close attention 
as to which disk is in the drive. 
VisiCalc into Apple Writer 
This demonstration shows how to 
move a very short VisiCalc file into a 
brief Apple Writer letter. The letter could 
just as easily be a complex report; and 
the VisiCalc file could be much longer. 

• Boot the VisiCalc Program Diskette 
on your Apple Ill’s built-in disk drive. 

• Insert the VisiCalc Sampler into 

pThe Maillist program 
requires that both 
your form 
letter and your 
information file be 
on the same 
diskette. 


Drive 2. 

• If the VisiCalc screen has any data 
on it, clear it. 

• Load the file “Sample.Budget” 
from the Sampler Diskette. 

• When the file is loaded, clean up 
some unnecessary information on the 


sample by erasing the following cells: 

A4, B4, K5, E6, F6, G6, BIO, and 

CIO . 

• Move the cursor to cells F6 and G6 
and enter the date JULY L 1981 . 

• Enter some reasonable numbers into 
cells E14-J14, E15-J15, and E16-J16. 

You don’t need to fill in every one. 

The totals will automatically 
recalculate as you progress. 

• Remove the Sampler Diskette, and 
insert the blank formatted diskette. 

• Place the cursor in cell Al. This will 
be the upper left comer of your 
printout. 

• Give VisiCalc the “Print” command. 

In response to the prompt “Printer, 

File”, type “F”. When prompted for 
a file name, type “.D2/VCTEST”. 

This is a totally arbitrary name which 
will be used for consistency’s 

sake throughout this demonstration. 

• Set cell K20 as the lower right hand 
comer of the printout. 

• Since you commanded “.D2” as 
the print destination, the VisiCalc file 
will now be printed to the blank 
diskette. 

• Leave VisiCalc , and boot Apple 
Writer , using the built-in drive. Leave 
the work diskette in Drive 2. 

• Write a short letter or report 
segment that might logically include 
the VisiCalc file you have just 
transferred. 

• Move the Apple Writer cursor to the 
location within the report/letter where 
you want the VisiCalc information to 
appear. Then, simply give Apple 
Writer the “Load” command, and 
load the file “.D2/VCTEST”. The 
VisiCalc test file will be inserted into 
your letter or report. 

• Congratulations! You now have a 
completed VisiCalc!Apple Writer 
document! You may save it on your 
work disk if you wish. Remember to 
assign it a new file name. If you want 
to print it out, be sure to set the page 
width to 80 columns so that the 
VisiCalc portion will print properly 
without wrapping around. 

A note on large VisiCalc files: It’s 
the width of a VisiCalc file that’s apt 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M07 






























ERASE ALL INFO FROM 
CELLS A4, B4, K5, E6, F6, 
G6, BIO, CIO 
IN CELLS F6 AND G6, ENTER 
TODAY’S DATE 


1 ^ 


ETC, ETC 


& 


REMOVE VISICALC 

Q: program disk 

BOOT APPLE 
WRITER 

PROGRAM DISK 


Mw 


■— 



TYPEL 

TYPE d2/$AMPLE. BUDGET 





ETC, ETC 




ETC, ETC 




to cause more problems rather than its 
length. Be aware of how many 
columns your printer can handle, and 
never set the right hand limit of the 
VisiCalc file to more than this number 
of columns. 

Quick File into Apple Writer 

One of the exciting possibilities of 
Quick File is its ability to create truly 
personalized form letters. Even small 
businesses can create efficient, effective 
direct-mail marketing programs. Since 
each Quick File entry can contain up to 
15 different information categories, you 
can personalize the letters with much 
more than just a name and address. 

^ Even small 
businesses can 
create efficient, 
effective direct-mail 
marketing programs. 

• Place the Quick File Boot Diskette 
in the built-in disk drive of your Apple 
III, and the Sample Data Files Diskette 
in Drive 2. Boot the program, 
inserting the Program Diskette when 
prompted. 

• Load the file called “PRESS LIST” 
from the Sample Files Diskette. 

• Go into the Report feature of Quick 
File , and select the “Create a New 
Labels Format” option. Do not use the 
existing Mailing Labels format. Enter 
any name you like when prompted for 
the report name. 

• Delete the categories “Phone”, 
“Specialty”, and “Media Type”. 
We’ll be using all the others in the 
finished letter to demonstrate Quick 
File's flexibility. When you create 
your own form letters, you may want 
to transfer all 15 categories, just so 
you’ll have them available if you need 
them. Don’t change the order of the 
categories. 

• Remove the Sample Files Diskette 
from Drive 2, and insert your working 
diskette. The one that has “VCTEST” 
if you did the preceding experiment, 
or is still blank if you didn’t. 

• Print the report, using print option 4 
“Print to a special Apple Writer file 
on disk.” When prompted, assign the 
name “.D2/QFTEST” to the file. 

Note that the message “Writing .D2/ 
QFTEST.ASCI” will appear on the 
screen. Quick File adds the suffix 
“.ASCI” to these special files, so you 
must use it in all future use of the file. 

• Leave Quick File , and boot Apple 
1084 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


Writer, using Drive 1. Type in the 
form letter and save it to your working 
disk in Drive 2 under the name, “ .D2/ 
MYLETTER ”. 

• On your Apple Writer Program 
Diskette is a WPL Word Processing 
Language, program called MAILLIST. 
Use this program to merge the Quick 
File information with the form letter. 
But first, a couple of changes must be 
made. So load it into the computer’s 
memory (“.Dl/MAILLIST”) and look 
at it. 

• About 15 lines from the top of 
MAILLIST, you will see the program 
line “L $D/MLMLETTER”. Change 
this to “L $D/MYLETTER”. This 
tells the program to use your form 


letter instead of a sample Mail List 
Manager letter. 

• A few lines further down is the line 
“L $D/MLMDATA!<(X)>!<!”. 
Change this to “L $D/ 
QFTEST.ASCI!<(X)>!<!”. Now the 
program will use your Quick File 
information list instead of the Mail 
List Manager address list it was 
originally written for. 

• You have now made the changes 
necessary to have the MAILLIST 
program merge MYLETTER with 
QFTEST.ASCI. Save this revised 
program to your working diskette, 
using the file name “NEW.MAIL” so 
you’ll know it’s not the original 
MAILLIST. Incidentally, the 

























































































M \ll LIST program requires that both 
, \••hi Ibrm letter and your information 
III* l*« on the same diskette. 

• Almost there! Enter the “Print/ 

| I’nigram” mode of Apple Writer, 

H i KL-P), and check the print 
j nn*.iants, (particularly the Print 

I >• imation. If you don’t your form 

!• iters will print into the ether). Then 
(V|u “DO .D2/NEW.MAIL’’. “DO” 
In (lie command which initiates 
limning of a WPL program, which 
UI W.MAIL is. 

• When prompted for the name of 
your Apple III volume, enter “.D2”. 
‘•nice your data diskette is already in 
(lu* proper drive, you can ignore the 

I next statement on the screen. 

• Sit back and watch your printer. 

Your Apple III will create 10 copies of 

1YLETTER, personalizing each one 
for someone on the PRESS LIST. 

When NEW.MAIL runs out of names, 

I I will stop. 

^ You probably 
wouldn’t want a 
form letter to read, 
“How are things in 
good old Dogwood, 
CA 94930?” 

A Few Hints 

Since this has only been a demonstra- 
lion, the computer was set up to print 
the letters continuously. To change 
NEW.MAIL so it stops between letters 
mid allows you to change paper, two pro- 
gram lines must be added. Near the very 
end of NEW.MAIL is a section starting 
with “L8 PNP”. The next line reads 
“PSX +1”. After that, add the line 

• ‘ PIN Insert new sheet of paper and press 
RETURN.” This causes the program to 
slop until you press the return key. Then 
add the line “PPR (CTRL-V) (CTRL- 

I backslash) (CTRL-V)”. Control-V is an 
Apple Writer command that allows the 
entry of control characters; in this case, 
(lie control-backslash. This line will 
clear the screen each time, so you can 
see the “new sheet’ prompt when it 
appears. Don’t forget to save this new 
I version of NEW.MAIL. 

“PRESS LIST” has the city, state, 
and zip code together in one category. 

I bis makes it very difficult to separate 
(lie information when using it in a form 
Liter. If you think you may need to sep- 
*ii ate pieces of information, set up your 
initial Quick File file to do so. (For 
instance, you probably wouldn’t want a 
lorin letter to read, “How are things in 


good old Dogwood, CA 94930?” 

As the old computer adage goes, 
“Garbage In/Garbage Out.” Beware of 
poorly worded information in a Quick 
File category — such as seen in the sam¬ 
ple “PRESS LIST” letter in which Elea¬ 
nor Porter is addressed as the “Asst.” 
Editor. Also, watch out for missing 
information. In the Steven McMurray 
letter, where no column or program title 
was entered in his Quick File listing, the 
result was a few blank spaces and an odd 
sounding sentence. Remember, they 
don’t call them form letters for nothing 
— you do have to follow the form exact¬ 
ly and give it the information it wants. 


( 1 ) 

@l@Johnson 
@2@Milton 
@3@Producer 
@4@Moments in Business 
@5@WBXZ 
@6@223 73rd Ave. 
@7@Chicago IL 99987 
[ 1 ]< 2 > 

@l@Callahan 

@2@Sarah 

@3@Assignment editor 
@4@Book Corner 
@5@KPYA 

@6@2354 Golden Ave. 
@7@Fast River OR 66544 

[2] <3> 

@l@Underwood 
@2@Thomas 
@3@Editor 
@4@Business Pages 
@5@Kansas Clarion 
@6@556 Swan Way 
@7@Topeka KA 22254 

[3] <4> 

@l@Theill 
@2@Helen 
@3@Editor 
@4@Telling Time 
@5@The Antique Journal 
@6(§>56S Roseberg Ave. 
@7@Willville MD 22147 

[4] (5) 

@l@McMurray 
@2@Steven 
@3@Features Editor 

@4@ 

@5@The Weekly Palm 
@6@2036 Sand St. 
@7@0rlando FL 88542 

[5] <6> 

@l@Porter 
@2@Eleanor 
@3@Asst. Editor 
(a>4@Ask Eleanor 
@5@Watsonville Daily News 
@6@5698 Lark Ave. 
@7@Watsonville TX 55412 

[6] (7) 

@l@Perota 
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A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M09 



















































►SOFTWARE/BY JARED TAYLOR 

REVIEW 

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List Price: $349 


MARKET MANAGER 

Requirements: Two Drives, Hayes Micromodem II 
List Price: $299 


All three programs are distributed by Dow Jones. Call (800) 
257-5114 for further information. 


Dow Jones, the company that brings you the stock market 
trading indexes and the Wall Street Journal, has entered into 
the software business. It has recently released three separate 
stock analysis packages for the Apple: two that track stocks 
and give trading advice, and one that keeps detailed records of 
transactions. All three are designed to tap into the Dow Jones 
110 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 
































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































News/Retrieval (DJN/R) network. 

These programs were not written for 
penny-ante speculators. They are aimed 
at brokers, professional money manag¬ 
ers, and sophisticated private inves¬ 
tors—and are priced accordingly. But 
even if you are only a small trader, it’s 
interesting to take a look at the kinds of 
tools Dow Jones now offers the big 
boys. 

You would expect only slick, top 
quality programming to get the Dow 
Jones imprint. Surprise: These packages 
are quite uneven and some are littered 
with clumsy features that have no place 
in good business software. For the most 
part, these flaws don’t prevent the pro¬ 
grams from doing their jobs; they just 
make it needlessly difficult for the user 
to do his. 

Despite their identical gray packag¬ 
ing, the programs were not all written by 
the same people. Dow Jones farmed out 
each one to a different software house. 
The overall menu-oriented design phi¬ 
losophy is thus the same, but the details 
of implementation are annoyingly incon¬ 
sistent. In some cases, not even the hard¬ 
ware requirements are the same. 

Of the three packages, Market Micro¬ 
scope and Market Analyzer are the most 
interesting because they are supposed to 
help you make better trades and, conse¬ 
quently, make more money. Market 
Manager is no doubt useful for anyone 
who has to keep track of large holdings 
in numerous portfolios, but it is really 
nothing more than a specialized filing 
system with a direct line into Dow Jones 
News/Retrieval. 

Microscope and Analyzer use two 
entirely different approaches to help you 
make buy/sell decisions. Analyzer 
(which I would have called “ Micro¬ 
scope ”) takes the infinite minutiae of 
price/trading volume, exponential mov¬ 
ing averages, regression analysis and a 
host of other mathematical relationships 
to produce strictly technical analyses of 
securities. Microscope (which I would 
have called “Analyst”) analyzes what 
are called “fundamentals”: such things 
as corporate earnings, return on assets, 
and price/earnings ratios. 

Close Look at Microscope 

Microscope, the newest and best- 
designed of the three, comes on one 
disk, which contains all program mod¬ 
ules. Lists of stocks and associated infor¬ 
mation are kept on separate data disks, of 
which there may be any number. For ini¬ 
tial setup, the program asks for some 
information about your computer (which 
interface cards are in which slots), lets 
you initialize a data disk or two, and 
112 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


ALPHABETICAL LISTING 


08/24/03 


SYMBOL 

STOCK OR INDUSTRY NAME 

LIST 

PRICE 

TRADING 

RANGE 

HIT 

HITACHI LTD 

S10 

36.00 

35.50 

50.00 

OMC 

MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDL 

S10 

ND 



PIO 

PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 

S10 

22.38 

19.00 

- 20.00 

SNE 

SONY CORPORATION 

S10 

13.63 

14. 00 

- 17.00 

TDK 

TDK CORP 

S10 

45.63 

30.00 

46.00 

5 ITEMS 

ON DISK 





Figure 1: 

Abbreviated alphabetical list of stock data as printed out from Microscope. 




p| tv QPPPI 

ETKI 



JAP 

ELECT 

BUT OUrvtLl 

<S10> - 

08/19/83 



•/.PRICE CHANGE LAST 52WKS.HIGH TO LOW LIMITS 50 


PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 
MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDL 
HITACHI LTD 

> 

TDK CORP 

SONY CORPORATION 


PIO 

OMC 

HIT 

TDK 

SNE 


89.7 

66.7 

56.8 

49.2 

10.2 


B. CURRENT P/E RATIO...LOW TO HIGH 


LIMIT: 20 


MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDL 
HITACHI LTD 

> 

TDK CORP 

SONY CORPORATION 
PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 


OMC 

HIT 

TDK 

SNE 

PIO 


16.9 

17.5 

21.3 
32. 1 
CNO DATA3 


C. ‘/.CHANGE IN REVENUE YR TO DATE......HIGH TO LOW LIMIT: 5 


HITACHI LTD 

MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDL 

> 

PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 
SONY CORPORATION 
TDK CORP 


HIT 

OMC 

PIO 

SNE 

TDK 


9.3 

5.5 

- 0.2 

-1.9 

-3.5 


•/.PROFIT MARGIN.HIGH TO LOW LIMIT: 2.5 


TDK CORP 

MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDL 
HITACHI LTD 

> 

SONY CORPORATION 
PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 


TDK 

OMC 

HIT 

SNE 

PIO 


9.6 
4.3 

3.7 

2.0 

- 1.6 


E. EST EPS '/.GROWTH PRESENT FY.HIGH TO LOW LIMIT: 10 


HITACHI LTD 
TDK CORP 
> 

SONY CORPORATION 
MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDL 
PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 


HIT 

TDK 

SNE 

OMC 

PIO 


26.50 
10. 14 

-18.52 
CNO DATA! 
CNO DATAD 


RANK MATRIX 


SYMBOL 

HIT 

OMC 

PIO 

SNE 

TDK 

T >L IM 
-tCOMP 


C 

1 

2 


2 
1 

* 3 

4 4 

3 5 


ABCDE 


3 2 2 
5 4 5 


3 2 

5 3 


Figure 2: Ranking of Japanese electronic company stocks according to limits set by the author. 








































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A Complete System! 

includes all four standard general accounting programs: 

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end-of-month transactions from A/R, A/P and Payroll. It prints 13 detailed 
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capacity: 400 Accounts • Monthly Transactions capacity: 1,000 with 200K 
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statements • Detailed audit trail • Maintains comprehensive customer 
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periodic customer/client billing option which is ideal for service businesses 

• Itemized monthly transactions • Master File capacity: 400 Customers 

• Monthly Transactions capacity: 800 with 200K diskette; 3,500 with 500K 
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checks (on commercially available forms on which your company name, 
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• Automatic pay selection program allows payment by due date or by 
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• Detailed audit trail • Itemized monthly transactions • Master File 
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• Master File capacity: 400 employees. An outstanding Payroll package! 


Produces 42 Reports & Documents: 


General Ledger I. Chart of Accounts 2. Chart of Accounts with summary dollar 
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year comparison 12. Detail report for individual accounts 13. Trial Balance Statement 
Accounts Receivable I. Daily Transactions Report 2. Invoices (with or without 
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Payroll 1 . Federal Tax Tables 2. State Tax Tables 3. Payroll checks with stubs 
4 . Payroll Check Register 5. Monthly Payroll Summary 6. Quarterly Payroll Summary 
7. General Ledger Transfer Report 8 . Detailed Employee File Listing 9 . Produces 941 
Worksheet 10 . Prints annual W-2 Forms 

System Requirements: Either CP/M® or MS-DOS (PC-DOS) • 
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ROCKY MOUNTAIN 
SOFTWARE SYSTEMS 

Specialists in Accounting Software 


40 hours via UPS • Add S5.00 for 
Chock • All Brand Names are manufac- 
write before ordering • « 1983 Rocky Mountnln Software Systems. 


CIRCLE 182 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



































Holiday 
fjjfc Specials! 

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BUY SCREEN 


FOOD CHAIN STORES 


A. ’/.CHANGE VS S&P 500 LAST 52WKS 

STOP & SHOP COMPANIES 
SH0PWELL INCORPORATED 
> 

GREAT ATLANTIC %c PAC TEA 
WINN-DIXIE STORES 
SAFEWAY STORES INC 
KROGER COMPANY 


B. CURRENT P/E RATIO. 


SAFEWAY STORES INC 
KROGER COMPANY 
SHOPWELL INCORPORATED 

> 

WINN-DIXIE STORES 
STOP & SHOP COMPANIES 
GREAT ATLANTIC & PAC TEA 


C. “/.CHANGE IN REVENUE YR TO DATE 

STOP & SHOP COMPANIES 
GREAT ATLANTIC PAC TEA 
SHOPWELL INCORPORATED 
WINN-DIXIE STORES 

> 

SAFEWAY STORES INC 
KROGER COMPANY 


D. DEBT TO EQUITY RATIO “/..„. 

WINN-DIXIE STORES 

> 

GREAT ATLANTIC & PAC TEA 
KROGER COMPANY 
SAFEWAY STORES INC 
STOP *s. SHOP COMPANIES 
SHOPWELL INCORPORATED 


“/.CHANGE IN EPS LAST QTR. . 

STOP & SHOP COMPANIES 
GREAT ATLANTIC & PAC TEA 
WINN-DIXIE STORES 

> 

SHOPWELL INCORPORATED 
SAFEWAY STORES INC 
KROGER COMPANY 

RANK MATRIX 


(400) 

- 08/19/83 


.HIGH TO LOW 

SHP 

287 

SH 

201 

GAP 

113 

WIN 

106 

SA 

99 

KR 

7S 


.LOW TO HIGH 

SA 

4.3 

KR 

10.0 

SH 

10.3 

WIN 

12.5 

SHP 

16.2 

GAP 

20.6 


.HIGH TO LOW 

SHP 

14.9 

GAP 

10.9 

SH 

8.2 

WIN 

6.6 

SA 

5.9 

KR 

0.6 


.LOW TO HIGH 

WIN 

20 

GAP 

79 

KR 

83 

SA 

110 

SHP 

118 

SH 

129 


.HIGH TO LOW 

SHP 

90.9 

GAP 

50. O 

WIN 

14.7 

SH 

-4.7 

SA 

-15.0 

KR 

-29.0 


SYMBOL 

SAP 


ABCDE 


#>LIM 2 3 4 1 3 

#CQMP 6 6 6 6 6 

Figure 3: Buy screen for six supermarket stocks. 


PRICE ALERT REPORT 


LIMIT s ICF 
ICFs 114 


LIMIT: ICF 
ICF: 10.7 


LIMIT: ICF 
ICF: 6.3 


LIMIT: ICF 
ICF: 77 


LIMIT: ICF 
ICF: -0.3 


STOCK NAME 

SYMBOL 

PRICE 

CP 

*/.>CP 

VOL <100) 

'/.Ft 

JAP ELECT 

08/23/83 





HITACHI LTD 

HIT 

36.00 

S 

1.4 

316 

34 

PIONEER ELECTRONIC ADR 

PIO 

22.38 

R 

11.9 

28 

fi 

TDK CQRP 

TDK 

45.63 

R 

-0.8 

9 

47 


Figure 4: Price alert for Japanese stocks. 






















































































\'Mi iv ready to go. 

The next step is to assemble lists of 
j ili« stocks you want to track and put them 
•n your data disk. Each list is given a 
1 1iii e-character name, usually the num- 
i" i of the industry group to which the 
locks on a list belong. Computer soft- 
vv are companies, for example, are indus- 
n v group 505. Waste management and 
i imlorial services are group 508. If you 
want to track a special group of stocks 
ili.it do not fall handily into an industry 
i-ioup, you must give it a two-digit num- 
hcr preceded by the letter S for “spe- 
nal.” Stocks are entered onto a list by 
iheir trading symbol—Apple Computer 
i. AAPL, Control Data is CDM. Each 
list can contain up to 50 stocks and you 
ran store 20 separate lists on each 
tlisk. 

From the same list-making menu you 
(an now pick another item and enter the 
nading range for your stocks. Some of 
ihe program features will run without 
iliis data, but the full benefit of the 
Microscope depends on it. A stock’s 
general trading range is defined by its 
support and resistance prices, on the the¬ 
ory that market forces will keep most 
.locks from varying too wildly in price. 
The upper limit of the range, the resis- 
lance price, is the value at which there 
should be more sellers than buyers. 
When the stock reaches that level, it 
should go down. The support price is the 
lower limit of the trading range; when a 
stock reaches this level, it should begin 
heading back up. Trading range is, of 
course, only a best guess, based on a 
stock’s behavior in the past. 

When your stock lists and trading 
lunges are ready, you can select the fun¬ 
damental indicators that you wish to 
H ack for the stocks on that disk. You can 
«boose up to 20 from a list of 68 different 
indicators that include just about any 
i n formation about a company that could 
he useful to investors. These indicators 
include such conventional data as debt/ 
equity ratio, dividend rate, short interest 
utio, and betas up or down, to more 
exotic fare such as insider net trading, 
volume/liquidity ratio, and volume-on- 
halance index. You choose your pre¬ 
wired indicators from a menu and write 
ihem to your data disk. 

Now you are ready to dial up DJN/R 
•iiid get the latest values for the indicators 
von plan to track. Depending on how 
many stocks you are following and how 
many indicators you need, this can be a 
I* ngthy process. It takes 10 minutes to 
1 1 nek nine values for 5 stocks at 300 
hand. This is because Microscope must 
fetch each of the 68 indicators stored by 


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CIRCLE 183 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M15 



























Dow Jones and then pick out only the 
ones you want to track, a clumsy, time- 
consuming procedure. 

When the program finally finishes 
talking to DJN/R, you can call up the 
information retrieved for each stock, or 
send it to the printer. Stock data on disk 
can also be printed out in a more abbre¬ 
viated form (see Figure 1). This is a sim¬ 
ple alphabetical list of every stock on the 
disk. In this case, we have only five 
stocks, all of them members of a special 
list (any group that doesn’t fall into one 
of Dow Jones’ categories) named S10, 
which consists of Japanese electronics 
companies. The ND in the line for 
Matsushita means that “no data” was 
available. 

Beyond Retrieval 

So far, all we have done is retrieve 
selected information from DJN/R. In 
order to put that information to work, we 
switch to a menu called “Customize the 
Software.” One of the useful things this 
menu allows us to do is to set cut-off 
values for the indicators we are tracking, 
and to rank each stock in the list accord¬ 
ing to that value. We can rank stocks in a 
“Buy Screen” if we think they are going 
up, or we can rank them in a “Sell 
Screen” if they look like they might 
drop. 

Creating a Buy Screen for our list of 
Japanese electronics stocks requires en¬ 
tering of a cut-off value for each of the 
fundamental indicators we wish to 
include as buy or sell indicators, and 
then specifying whether they are to be 
ranked in high-to-low or low-to-high 
order. 

In Figure 2, all the Japanese stocks 
are ranked according to the limits I spec¬ 
ified. For the first indicator, I assumed 
that stocks that have risen quickly in the 
past will keep on rising, so I set that indi¬ 
cator to a high-to-low ranking. I also set 
an arbitrary limit of a 50 percent stock 
price increase over the last year, which 
tells the program to separate my list at 
the specified break-point with a “greater 
than” (>) sign. All my indicators are 
ranked high-to-low except the P/E ratio; 
I would rather buy low P/E than high 
P/E stocks. 

The rank matrix at the bottom of the 
figure is a quick reference to compare 
stocks in a list. It indicates that Hitachi 
(symbol HIT) ranked third according to 
indicator A, second according to indica¬ 
tor B, first according to C, etc. The col¬ 
umn of periods and exclamation marks 
reveals whether a stock was above or 
below the > sign. 

According to this matrix, Hitachi gets 
an exclamation mark on every count, 






1111111 

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 


Figure 7. 




Figure 9. 


120 " 








A /VA 

'•V 


-4 - 


6-1 

Figure 10. 


8-24 


ol 


and Sony (SNE) gets a solid string ol 

raspberries. The last two lines of the 
matrix tell how many stocks were above 
the cut-off value, and how many were 
included in the comparison. (When there 
is no data for a stock, it drops to the 
bottom of the heap and is not counted in 
the number compared.) If you are in a 
hurry to size up the performance of yom 
stocks, you can print out only the rank 
matrix. 

Figure 3 is another buy screen, this 
time for a list of six supermarket stocks 
In this case, I specified the industry com 
posite figure (ICF) as the cut-off value. 
This way, the stocks that appear above 
the > sign are doing better than the 
industry average and those below the 
sign are doing worse. ICFs are the lazy 
man’s way to rank a list of stocks 
because he doesn’t have to enter them; 
the program fetches ICFs from DJN/R. 
They are the default value for the cut-oi l 
figure when you are “customizing the 
software.” Sell screens can be set up in 
exactly the same way. The only differ 
ence is that you rank the stocks you are 
tracking according to whether they 
seemed more likely to go down rather 
than up. 

Tracking fundamentals and specify 
ing buy and sell screens is very useful 
business, but Microscope goes about it 
in a slightly rigid way. When you choose 
the indicators to be tracked, or set the 
cut-off values for a buy or sell screen, 
these parameters are written onto the 
data disk and apply to every stock list on 
the disk. Parameters cannot be custom 
ized to each list. Thus, our lists of super 
market and electronics stocks had to be 
on separate disks because the cut-off val 
ues are different for the two lists. 

This problem could be solved by 
specifying only ICFs as cut-off ranking 
values for every stock list on a disk. This 
would work fine because when you log. 
on to DJN/R, the program is small 
enough to fetch a different ICF for each 
list. Unlike customized cut-off values, 
ICFs are regularly computed by Dow 
Jones and are fetched from DJN/R jusi 
like any other value. However, ICFs 
may not always be what you want to usr 
as cut-off values and are not available Ibi 
special lists anyway. 

Alert! Alert! Alert! 

The “customization” section of the pro 
gram includes a buy/sell alert routim 
that is implemented more smoothly 
This feature also applies to an entin 
diskful of stocks, but it is not a handicap 
because the data that trigger a price aim 
are keyed to the individual trading rang, 
of each stock. 


116 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 
















































































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Alerts are set up by specifying rela¬ 
tionships between the current stock 
price, the support price, and the resis¬ 
tance price. For example, if the stock has 
a broad but consistent trading range, but 
has drifted toward one of the extremes, 
Microscope can be customized to alert 
you to the possibility of an imminent cor¬ 
rection. Again, the theory is that if a 
stock moves too high, sellers will out¬ 
number buyers and the price will drop. If 
the stock moves too low, the reverse 
should happen. 

A support level buy recommendation 
might be made by the program when a 
stock price drifts within a small percent¬ 
age of the bottom of its trading range. 
However, the normal range should be 
wide enough so that a routine correction 
would give the stock price enough room 
to move up into for an investor to come 
out with a worthwhile profit. You might 
therefore specify that the current price 
would have to come within 5 percent of 
the support price (bottom of the trading 
range) and yet be at least 35 percent 
below the resistance price (top of the 
trading range) before a buy alert was 
triggered. 

By playing with these percentages 
and adjusting the trading range, you can 
configure the program to flash a price 


alert whenever current prices meet cer¬ 
tain conditions you set. Microscope lets 
you set conditions for two different buy 
and two different sell conditions. It will 
also notify you, if you wish, when prices 
have broken so far out of normal patterns 
that the trading range should be updated. 
When you run the price alert routine, the 
program will scan an entire disk of 


► 


Microscope can be 
customized to alert 
you to the possibility 
of an imminent 
correction. 


stocks to see if any meet your pricing 
criteria. 

A price alert for our list of Japanese 
electronics stocks is shown in Figure 4. 
The trading ranges and percentage 
parameters for price alerts were tinkered 
with to give results that are not realistic, 
but the program followed our instruc¬ 
tions and duly recommended that we buy 
Hitachi and Pioneer, and sell TDK. The 
column in the printout labeled CP stands 
for “Critical Price” and indicates 


whether the alert was triggered by a crit 
ical relationship with the support (S) o 
resistance (R) price. %>CP indicate 
the percentage (positive or negative) b; 
which the current price exceeds the crit 
ical price. %PF stands for “Percen 
Price Fluctuation” and indicates the rel 
ative breadth of the trading range. 

We have now seen everything Micro 
scope can do. A trader or broker wh< 
was following hundreds of stocks woul< 
probably use the program to update th 
fundamentals indicators every week o 
so, and to update current price/volum 
every day. He might also run a price alei 
every day to see if any stocks had movei 
into a critical range. Alerts are, o 
course, only as good as the trading rang' 
and alert parameters that he enters inti 
the program, and Dow Jones takes pain 
to point out that it “make(s) no clain 
that the use of this software package wil 
increase profits or reduce losses.” Still 
if you are a smart trader, it could mak 
you even smarter. 

Analyzing Market Analyzer 
For investors who don’t believe in track 
ing fundamentals, or who want to sup 
plement that information with a lot c 
graphs and charts, Dow Jones offer 
Market Analyzer. This program is easil 
the most awkward to use and the moj 


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poorly documented but is perhaps the 
i most powerful. 

s I Basically, Analyzer takes nothing but 

y I historical trading data—high, low, close 

oncl volume—and runs it through a 
it mathematical meat grinder. The idea is 

to look for consistent relationships 
between numerical variables and price 
changes. There may be no clear cause- 
;> mid-effect relationship between any of 

I this data and changes in stock price, but, 

i‘ as the manual points out, “the fact that a 

i particular method works need not be 

l* explainable, however strong the urge to 

I do so.” 

I The first step, after an installation 

I procedure very similar to that for Micro- 
c scope, is to establish a list of securities to 
a track—stocks, bonds, options, mutual 

s I lands, or treasuries—and get the neces- 

ii nary historical data for them. To do that, 

I you need to initialize a data disk, speci¬ 
fying whether you want to be able to 

e I store information for a maximum of 128 
or 256 periods. The manual tells you that 
periods can be days, weeks, or months, 
but as we will soon see, this is only tech- 
i mcally correct. These periods are going 
i| j to be days. 

s After you have decided which securi- 
y 1 tics to analyze, you tell the program you 
;i want to enter them. Immediately you’re 


hassled: Analyzer wants to know exactly 
how many securities you want to put on 
the disk. It needs to know this because it 
will not leave the input mode until it has 
received exactly as many stocks as you 
told it you would supply, and as soon as 
it gets them it whizzes off on other busi¬ 
ness. You had better be sure about what 
you enter, too, because there is no back- 

w You can configure 
the program to flash 
a price alert 
whenever current 
prices meet certain 
conditions. 

ing up for corrections. To fix things you 
have to finish the entry procedure, go to 
a different menu, and go into correction 
mode. A polite program would let you 
fix things as you go along and would let 
you stop entering stocks whenever you 
liked. 

Analyzer allows you to enter histori¬ 
cal data on your securities in two differ¬ 
ent ways: electronically with DJN/R, or 
manually. The manual option means that 
you can analyze obscure Tasmanian 


debentures or anything else Dow Jones 
doesn’t bother to track. Also, it is the 
only way to enter weekly or monthly 
data; consequently, those 252 periods 
are very likely to be days. That Analyzer 
offers a manual option means that it 
could conceivably be used without a sub¬ 
scription to DJN/R, but it’s hard to 
imagine anyone wanting to enter all 
those data points by hand. 

I took the easy route. I dialed DJN/R 
for my historical data and immediately 
ran into trouble: I was prompted to enter 
how many “pages” of information I 
want for my list of securities. Nowhere 
does the documentation tell me what 
“pages” are, but it turns out that one 
page represents 12 days of data. This is 
Analyzer's clumsy way of asking how 
much data I want to collect. 

Once you’re on the phone with DJN/ 
R, get ready for a long wait while the 
program reads in your data. If you ask 
for high, low, close, and volume for the 
maximum number of periods (252), it 
will take you 7 minutes at 1200 baud to 
get the facts on one security. If you’ve 
got more than one, walk the dog or make 
yourself a ham sandwich. 

When this marathon procedure is 
over, you discover that in order to add 
the latest day’s trading information to 


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CIRCLE 119 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





















































your historical data, you must go 
through yet another cumbersome proce¬ 
dure. This is apparently because DJN/R 
stores historical and current information 
in different databases, but Analyzer goes 
out of its way to make things difficult. 
The most recent day’s quotes have to be 
collected on yet another “temporary 
work diskette” and then—oh my 
God!—transferred to the original data 
disk. You are compelled to shuffle disks 
and twiddle your thumbs until that’s 
finally done. 

Charts ’n’ Things 

At this point, you have up-to-date histor¬ 
ical info on your stocks. You can either 
print this out in long, boring lists of num¬ 
bers or in any number of exciting graphs. 
You hit the menu selection, “Individual 
Charts,” and wait for 35 seconds while 
the graphing module loads: time enough 
to scratch every itchy spot on your whole 
body. Finally, the program decides to 


roll up its sleeves and do some real work. 
It prompts you for the security you want 
to chart and for the number of periods. 

Since you just spent 7 minutes col¬ 
lecting historical information on General 
Motors, let’s see how it did over the last 
252 trading days (see Figure 5). The 
graph is designed to give you high, low, 
and close for each trading day, but there 
are so many data points breakdowns run 
together. The vertical bars below the 
graph are relative trading volume; they 
represent the natural logarithm of each 
day’s volume figure minus the natural 
log of the smallest volume figure. Thus, 
the smallest volume day is shown as 
zero. The tick marks along the vertical 
axis are discrete dollar amounts. If GM 
stock had split at some point during the 
charting period, Analyzer has a routine 
that would let you correct for the change 
in price. 

You can display the GM data in 


YEAR-TO-DATE TRANSACTIONS 


TODAYS DATE 08/29/83 


DATE CODE TRANSACTION DESCRIPTION AMOUNT 


3/07/83 

X 

CASH 

INITIAL 

DEPOSIT 



12176 

3/07/83 

X 

BUY 

200 

GM 

@ 

60.88 

12176 

5/06/83 

X 

BUY 

200 

C 


28.50 

5700 

6/13/83 

X 

SELL 

150 

GM 

@ 

70.75 

10612 

6/23/83 

X 

SHORT SELL 

too 

GM 

e 

74.88 

7488 

8/24/83 

X 

SELL 

100 

C 

e 

23.00 

2300 

8/24/83 

X 

SHORT SELL 

200 

C 

@ 

23.00 

4600 

8/29/83 

X 

DELETE 

200 

C 

@ 

23.00 

4600 

7/27/83 

X 

SHORT SELL 

200 

F 

@ 

62.88 

12576 

6/23/83 

X 

BUY/COVER 

100 

GM 

e 

68.25 

6825 


Figure 11: Record for hypothetical portfolio (Portfolio X) as generated by Market Manager. 


REALIZED GAINS/LOSSES 



E SYMBOL 

QTY 

DATE 

PRICE 

♦COST 

DATE 

PRICE 

PROCEEDS 

GAIN/LOSS 

S 

X GM 

150 

3/07/83 

60.88 

9132 

6/13/83 

70.75 

10612 

1480 

S 

X C 

100 

5/06/83 

28.50 

2850 

8/24/83 

'23.00 

2300 

-550 

s 

X GM 

100 

8/29/83 

68.25 

6825 

6/23/83 

74.88 

7488 

663 

s 

TOTALS: 

350 



18807 



20400 

1593 



Figure 12: A second report for Portfolio X showing the results of all sales and purchases. 


HOLDINGS BY PORTFOLIO 


TODAY'S DATE 08/29/83 


C T 

0 Y 


D P 

E SYMBOL E 

B 

SS 

DATE 

QUANT 

rRANSACTION= 

♦COST 

PRICE 

====08/29 

♦VALUE 

/83===== 

PRICE 

UNREALI ZD 
GAIN/LOSS 

X C 

S 

B 

5/06/83 

100 

2,850 

28.50 

2,538 

25 

3/8 

—312 

X F 

S 

SS 

7/27/83 

200 

12,576 

62.88 

10,825 

54 

1/8 

1,751 

X GM 

s 

B 

3/07/83 

50 

3,044 

60.88 

3,413 

68 

1/4 

369 

VALUED 

VALUED 

SECURITIES LONG 
SECURITIES SHORT 

150 

200 

5,894 

12,576 


5,951 

10,825 



57 

1,751 


CASH BALANCE * 20451 

Figure 13: Current holdings report for Market Manager. 


120 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


smaller chunks, say, 60 days (see Figure 
6) or 24 days (Figure 7). These charts 
look very good indeed. If you like, you 
can chart the natural logarithm of the 
price on a semi-log chart so as to get a 
better illustration of percentage price 
variation at different stock prices. Also, 
Analyzer will let you stretch out or 
reduce either vertical or horizontal axes 
so you can zero in on any part of the data 
you like. 

Most impressive, however, is Ana¬ 
lyzer's ability to draw curves through the 
data on your charts. To do this, you key 
in a few commands, and the new lines 
appear on the screen. In Figure 8, the 
plain, 60-day historical data shown in 
Figure 6 has been reconstituted using the 
program’s special graph curve feature. 
The three parallel, curving lines in the 
upper chart are 12-day moving averages 
of closing prices. The middle curve is the 
moving average for the actual data 
points, and the curves above and below it 
are plotted at plus and minus 5 percent of 
the actual moving average. If you prefer, 
you could choose any number of days for 
your moving average, an exponential 
rather than simple moving average, and 
high or low prices for your data points 
rather than the close. The gently down¬ 
ward-sloping straight line through the 
middle of the chart is a linear least- 
squares fit of closing prices that gives the 
directional trend of the stock price 
throughout the period. 

The lower chart in Figure 8 (where 
daily trading volume was first displayed) 
plots GM’s negative volume indicator 
(NVI) over the 60-day period and then 
smooths that curve with a 12-day mov¬ 
ing average. The NVI relates a drop in a 
stock’s daily trading volume to a change 
in closing price. Whenever volume 
decreases from one day to the next, the 
NVI is adjusted by the percent change in 
the close. When volume increases, NVI 
remains the same. In this lower graphing 
space, you could choose to plot the 
stock’s positive volume indicator, cumu¬ 
lative volume indicator, volume line 
chart, price volume trend, or daily vol¬ 
ume indicator. 

In the upper graph, there are yet more 
varieties of curves you may plot. You 
can draw straight lines between any two 
points, plot 1/3-2/3 spreed-resistance 
lines, or design oscillator bar or line 
charts. You may even stretch out the hor 
izontal axes any distance into the future 
to project a continuation of any of the 
curves. Once again, the use to which you 
put this information is entirely up to you 
If you find a relationship that seems In 
translate into trading profits, Analyzei 















































will chart it for any stock you like. 

In its second graphing mode, Ana - 
lv. <r creates comparative charts for up to 
live stocks at a time. Figure 9, for exam¬ 
ple . shows the relative performance of 
live different automotive stocks during 
llie 60-day trading period. The informa- 
lion along the bottom of the chart (which 
appears on the computer screen but was 
inexplicably dropped from the printout) 
indicates which stocks are being com¬ 
pared, and what a $100 investment in 
each stock, made on June 1, 1983 would 
he worth on August 24. If, on the last 
Irading day, the stock’s curve is above 
(lie base-line, there has been an overall 
profit; if the curve ends up below the line 
lhere has been a loss. 

On a color screen these lines would 
all be easily distinguishable, but in 


If, on the 
last trading 
day, the stock’s 
curve is above the 
baseline, there has 
been an overall 
profit. 


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CIRCLE 185 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


monochrome it’s hard to tell them apart. 
The end point of each line can be deter¬ 
mined from how much the $100 invest¬ 
ment was worth at the end of the period, 
hut in the middle of the chart it’s easy to 
get lost. Only the plot for the first stock, 
which happens to be GM, is printed out 
in boldface and can be distinguished 
throughout. 

Figure 10 is a slightly different kind 
of comparative chart. Here, the baseline 
is not $100 but the GM stock price, with 
those of Ford and American Motors plot¬ 
ted against it. Since I have chosen only 
two stocks to compare with GM and the 
two diverge immediately, there is no 
confusion, even in monochrome, over 
which curve is which. This kind of chart 
could be printed out using an industrial 
composite as the baseline, to show 
which stocks were performing better or 
worse than the industry as a whole. 
Unfortunately, Analyzer can’t fetch 
composite figures from DJN/R, so those 
data points would have to be entered by 
hand. 

Analyzer is, all told, quite a razzle- 
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101 W. 31st Street 
New York, N.Y. 10001 

CIRCLE 186 ON READER SERVICE CARD ( 212 ) 947-5533 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M21 



























ATTENTION 

APPLE 

FREAKS! 

Here’s the book 
you’ve been looking for! 



THE CREATIVE APPLE 


The Creative Apple brings you the best articles 
and features on the Apple to appear in the past 
four years of Creative Computing. Revised and 
updated, this wealth of material gives you dozens 
of ways to tap the tremendous potential of your 
Apple, improve your programming skills, and ex¬ 
pand your computing knowledge. Graphic utili¬ 
ties, animation, digitized images, music editing, 
educational software and applications, telecom¬ 
puting, home control systems, VisiCalc and many 
other timely topics are thoroughly examined and 
discussed. Ready-to-run programs give you im¬ 
mediate use of this informative and stimulat¬ 
ing collection, while a chapter on tips and tricks 
for easier programming lets you unlock the versa¬ 
tility of the Apple computer-and your own 
resourcefulness. 

Whether for business, personal budgeting, the 
thrill of computer games or the development of 
educational applications, you'll find plenty here to 
help you get the most out of your Apple. 

The Creative Apple, edited by Mark Pelczarski 
and Joe Tate. 8‘/2 x 11", softcover, illustrated. 
$15.95. 

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 


n, 


CREATIVE COMPUTING PRESS Dept. NG8C 
39 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Plains, NJ 07950 

Please send me_copies of Creative Apple at 

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and printer with only moderate delays. 
For technical stock analysts it will save 
an enormous amount of time that might 
otherwise have gone to doing the same 
work by hand. 

Sadly, access to this powerful graph¬ 
ics package is gained only through an 
aggressively unfriendly front end. It’s 
not all that difficult to learn how to enter 
a list of securities, but while you’re 
learning, Analyzer is not patient with 
mistakes. The program assumes you are 
going to do everything right the first 
time. If you must make a correction and 
enter the module that allows you to 
change a list of securities, you could still 
be in for surprises. It’s tempting to think 
that by blanking out the symbol for a 
security, you have removed it from your 
list. Wrong. The program thinks the 
security is still on your list and stupidly 
rings up DJN/R for a symbol composed 


w Sadly, access to this 
powerful graphics 
package is gained 
only through an 
aggressively 
unfriendly 
front end. 


of a string of blanks. Of course there is 
no such security, so Analyzer bleeps out 
a cryptic error message that is not 
explained in the error message appendix. 
To actually delete a security from your 
list, you have to go through an entirely 
separate “deletion” module. This sort 
of thing is thoroughly bush-league; one 
wonders how such a slick graphics rou¬ 
tine got mixed up with such a clumsy 
user interface. 

Myopic Market Manager 
Market Manager , Dow Jones’ portfolio 
maintenance program, is not a model of 
elegant programming either. It does a 
reasonable job of keeping track of trades 
in up to 26 different portfolios, but suf¬ 
fers from several eccentricities that limit 
its flexibility. 

After a simple setup routine, Manag¬ 
er lets you initialize a data disk. Then 
you are ready to start entering the data 
for transactions in stocks, bonds, op¬ 
tions, mutual funds, or treasuries. The 
program lets you enter buy, sell, short- 
sell and buy-to-cover orders, and also 
keeps track of cash. Aside from dialing 


up DJN/R for current quotes, such cash 
or securities entries are the only data the 
program needs. Manager will thus track : 
holdings by portfolio, record gains anil 
losses, and keep a cumulative record ol 
all trades. 

Entering transactions is a straightfor 
ward procedure. A data-entry screen 
prompts you for the name of the portfolio j 
(identified by a single letter), the date ol 
the transaction, its nature (buy, sell i 
short, etc.), the Dow Jones symbol, tin¬ 
type of security, and the transaction dol j 
lar amount. On successive entries, all 
but the quantity and amount will default 
to the values of the previous entry at the 
touch of the Return key. This makes il 
easier to enter a series of similar i 
trades. 

Unfortunately, the entry screen does 
little error-checking. It will allow you to 
enter a strictly numerical security sym¬ 
bol (there can be no such thing) and will 
record a zero for the transaction amount 
if you hit the Enter key by mistake. Man > 
ager thus lets you buy or sell stocks at a 
price of zero. However, so long as you 
catch your error before you move on to 
the next transaction, the program will let 
you return to any line in the screen and 
make corrections. The same module ol 
the program allows you to delete earlier 
transactions or make changes in the cash 
account. 

One clever feature of the program 
allows you to match closing transactions 
with any appropriate open position. For 
example, you may have bought the same 
stock on different occasions at different 
prices. When you decide to sell, the pro¬ 
gram will cycle through the portfolio and 
show you the various long position you 
could close against. Your profits (or 
losses) will vary acccording to which 
position you choose to close out, and 
Manager records the appropriate results 
Whenever you buy or sell, Manager also 
reduces or increases your cash account 
by the appropriate amount. 

Market Manager can generate three 
kinds of report on the portfolios it is 
maintaining. Figure 11 is a record of all 
the transactions entered for a hypotheti 
cal portfolio I have identified as X I 
started on March 7, 1983 with a cash ' 
injection of $12,176 to buy 200 shares ol 
GM, and then went on to play with sev 
eral other automotive stocks. 

Note that a deletion from this repori 
does not result in a true deletion; both (In 
original error and the correction an 
listed. Note also that this report does nm 
sort transactions by date; it prints eai h 
one out precisely in the order in which n 
was entered, no matter what date w;n I 


1224 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 














































I" < ilied for that transaction. For exam- 
I *1* . (he short sell order for Ford (next- 
in last transaction) is not listed in chro- 
n« ‘logical order because the entry was 
not made until after the fact. Also, the 
hny-to-cover order is listed as occurring 
on (he date of the original short sell 
older, not.the date on which it was actu¬ 
ally put through. 

This sort of thing would not be too 
great a problem if the program were 
being used every day for real 
transactions; it would be unlikely that 
luiy/sell orders be entered in anything 
hut chronological order. Still, any entry 
that was made to patch up a past error or 
omission would appear in the wrong 
order and buy-to-cover transactions 
would be easier to understand if the pro¬ 
gram provided both short-sell and buy 
dates. 

A second report records realized 
gains and losses by portfolio. Figure 11 
gives the results for Portfolio X. The last 
report (see Figure 12) lists the current 
holdings in the portfolio, showing the 
results of all sales and purchases. It is the 
only report that requires latest securities 
prices, which can be entered either man¬ 
ually or via Dow Jones. Unless Manager 
were running very large portfolios, man¬ 
ual updating might be a realistic option; 
llius this program could conceivably be 
used without a DJN/R subscription. The 
current holdings report (see Figure 13) 
carefully nets out sales against long posi- 
lions and distinguishes nicely between 
long and short securities. 

Unfortunately, Manager suffers from 
omissions that prevent it from being the 
true broker’s tool it was meant to be. The 

| The lack 
of a date 
sorting means that 
the program cannot 
tell when one year 
ends and 
the next begins. 


lack of a date-sorting routine means that 
ilie program cannot tell when one year 
ends and the next begins. This means 
you must close out the files on each port- 
lolio at the end of the year and start over. 
Ii also means that the program doesn’t 
recognize a long-term gain or loss when 
1 1 sees one. It would be a great help if 
Manager could flag long-term 


transactions. Alas, it can’t. 

It would also be useful if Manager 
were able to factor a commission into 
every transaction price automatically. 
As the program is now designed, it is 
possible to adjust each transaction man¬ 
ually to account for commissions, but 
why not let the user specify commission 
rates and let the program do the math? 

Another shortcoming is Manager's 
inability to handle margin transactions. 
It would be enormously useful to a bro¬ 
ker to be alerted by his software when¬ 
ever he needed to make a margin call. 
Also, if the program allowed him to 
input periodic changes in the loan rate, it 
could figure margin interest charges for 
him. Changes such as these need not be 
difficult to implement and would greatly 
improve the program. 

Finally, Manager has some awkward 
features that could surely have been 
avoided. It is, for example, the only 
package of the three that makes you 
shuffle between two different program 
disks depending on what procedure you 
need to perform. Manager is the least 
complex of the three programs; it’s got 
no business coming on two disks. At the 
same time, it is the only program that 
requires you to put DJN/R log-on infor¬ 
mation on each data disk rather than 
putting it once and for all on the program 
disk: more senseless bother. 

An additional annoyance, Market 
Manager can’t tell the difference be¬ 
tween single- and multiple-key input. 
The other two programs respond imme¬ 
diately when they prompt you for a sin¬ 
gle-digit or single-letter response; Man¬ 
ager loafs around until you hit Return— 
even after a Y/N prompt. 

Perhaps it’s significant that, accord¬ 
ing to the manual, parts of the program 
were copyrighted by the University of 
California back in 1979. One wonders 
which parts. Programming for micros 
has traveled light years since then. 

What, then, are we to make of this 
trio of offerings from the mighty Dow 
Jones organization? Frankly, not all that 
much. In effect, each is nothing more 
than a specialized database with stock 
market information for input. Databases 
now come in all degrees of elegance and 
sophistication; these, unfortunately, 
weigh in pretty low on the list. Each pro¬ 
gram manages to get the job done but 
none is likely to win a user-friendliness 
contest. 

Microscope is the most straightfor¬ 
ward of the three. Its menus load a little 
too slowly, but the program does its job 
without too many surprises. Analyzer , it 
must be admitted, creates very fancy 


graphs, but only after it has snarled at 
you for not inputting a list of stocks per¬ 
fectly the first time around. Manager , in 
spite of its clumsiness, does nothing 
more spectacular than match trans¬ 
actions, make tables, and do four-func¬ 
tion arithmetic. 

It is just as disappointing to find that 
these programs are not even consistent 
among themselves. When you store tele¬ 
phone numbers for automatic dialing, 


m In effect, 
each is nothing 
more than a 
specialized 
database with 
stock market 
information for 
input. 


each has a different system for specify¬ 
ing a pause when dialing 9 to get out of a 
PBX system. The hardware require¬ 
ments for the three programs are not 
even the same. Manager will not work 
with anything but the 300-baud Hayes 
Micromodem II. The other two pro¬ 
grams can be tinkered with so as to let 
you use a 1200-baud modem, but then 
you lose the auto-dial, auto-log-on fea¬ 
tures of the Micromodem. As an added 
eccentricity, Microscope will allow you 
to access DJN/R at 1200 baud to retrieve 
the specific indicators you wish to track, 
but will not let you leaf through the other 
Dow Jones databases at that speed. You 
need to drop down to 300 baud to use 
E-Z terminal mode. Only Analyzer will 
consistently let you operate at 1200 
baud. 

One respect in which these programs 
are consistent is their strict copy protec¬ 
tion. Not only are the programs sup¬ 
posed to be impossible to copy, but any¬ 
one who tries will disable the original. 
At least that’s what the manuals say, but 
sadly, they are at about the same level as 
the programs. Only the, Analyzer manual 
entirely ignores a significant feature of 
the program (the “pages” feature) but 
none of the manuals is a model of clarity. 
All suffer from minor omissions and 
typographical errors. 

Some day Dow Jones will no doubt 
smooth out the kinks in these three pro¬ 
grams; for now, it looks as though the 
company was in one tearing hurry to get 
into the software market. + 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M23 




















































►APPLES AT WORK/BY PAULINA BOORSOOK 


APPLEWEAVE 


The industrial revolution revisited: 
weaving applications for the Apple 


Computing and weaving have a natural 
and historical affinity. Weaving, like 
computing, is dependent on precise 
mathematical relationships; threads are 
woven repetitively onto the vertical 
matrix of the warp, much as a program 
runs through a series of loops. Exactness 
of design and execution is required; a 
tiny variation in either will affect the out¬ 
come of the entire piece. 

Apple owner and part-time weaver 
Arnold Edelstein recognized this con¬ 
nection and created a simple program 
called AppleWeave to aid home weavers 
in the design and production of their art. 
By removing the hard work and leaving 
only the joy of creation, the program 
gives artisans the flexibility and econo¬ 
mies of scale usually available only to 
large-scale manufacturers. 

Besides being chairman of the En¬ 
glish Department at the University of 
Hawaii, Edelstein is also an accom¬ 
plished home weaver whose work has 
been shown at the annual Art Academy 
Exhibits in Honolulu. His work is sold 
through various local stores. 

Charles Babbage: Programming 
Pioneer 

Through his work, Edelstein without 
realizing it pays homage to Charles Bab¬ 
bage, the nineteenth-century designer of 
the first computer. Curiously, Babbage 
was inspired by the then newly mecha¬ 
nized British textile industry. He was 
especially impressed with the automated 
Jacquard loom, which debuted at the 
Paris exhibition of 1801. Its creator, 


Joseph Maria Jacquard, had improved 
on the earlier attempts of the Frenchmen 
Bouchon and Vaucansons to increase the 
efficiency and decrease the human 
drudgery involved in weaving silk—a 
delicate, skilled, but repetitive task. 

The Jacquard breakthrough was 
brought about by the use of stiff cards 
with holes punched through them. These 
cards controlled the weaving pattern, 
making the Jacquard loom the first pro¬ 
grammable machine. It was immensely 
successful, and within 11 years of its 
introduction, over 11,000 were in use in 
France. 

Babbage was also impressed with the 
mathematical predictability and preci¬ 
sion of the new cotton spinning factories 
springing up all over England. He envi¬ 
sioned a world where the tremendous 
efficiency of the power loom enabled 
weavers to have greater autonomy and 
creativity in the production of their 
work. 

Factory production, the keystone of 
the Industrial Revolution, led to the 
development of larger businesses than 
had previously existed. Keeping track of 
the sheer volume of information in¬ 
volved in the operation of these new 
large businesses meant that some people 
would be required to spend their entire 
lives dealing with the drudgery of rou¬ 
tine, repetitive calculations. Improve¬ 
ments in manufacturing were intimately 
linked with the evolution of calculating 
machines. 

By 1833, Babbage began applying 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M25 






























the punched card concept of the Jacquard 
loom to an invention he called the “An¬ 
alytical Engine.” This machine would 
perform any mathematical operation. It 
would have memory that could store 
numbers, and it would be able to make 
comparisons with the results of various 
operations. In short, Babbage envi¬ 
sioned the modem computer. 

The poet Byron’s daughter, Lady Ada 
Lovelace, was an accomplished mathe¬ 
matician and a contemporary of Bab¬ 
bage’s. She followed the progress of 
Babbage’s machine and was also aware 
of its textile heritage. She wrote: “We 
may say most aptly, that the Analytical 
Engine weaves algebraical patterns just 
as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and 
leaves.” 

Babbage spent 4 decades working on 
his idea, but the Analytical Engine was 


2 * WEAVE PROGRAM 1 

3 * by Arnold Edelstein ' 

4 * 

5 * NOTE: The PLOT routine was * 

6 * bagged from the very old H 

7 * INTEGER HIRES routines. 

8 * 1 

9 * H 

10 * 1 

H a*#*##**#********-****#***#**###* 

12 

13 


14 

HBASL 


$26 

15 

HBASH 

= 

$27 

16 

XOL 

— 

$0328 

17 

XOH 

— 

$0329 

18 

Y0 

as 

$032A 

19 

HCOLR 

— 

$0320 

20 

HNDX 


$032D 

21 

HPAG 

** 

$032E 

22 

XLBUFF 

sa 

$4000 

23 

XHBUFF 

=1 

$4100 

24 

YBUFF 

— 

$4200 

25 

TXTCLR 

= 

$0050 

26 

MIXCLR 

*S 

$0052 

27 

MIXSET 

SB 

$0053 

28 

HIRES 


$0057 

29 




30 


ORG 

$6000 


31 

32 * The somewhat bizarre manipulations here all 

33 * accomplish one purpose : to keep track of 

34 * two arrays, one of which is longer than a 

35 * a single page. I should probably rewrite 

36 * it now that I know more about assembly-language 

37 * programming, but it works and I'm lazy. 

38 


never built. It was impossible to manu¬ 
facture the parts for the machine precise¬ 
ly enough. What Babbage lacked was 
electronics. He was ahead of his time. 

w Edelstein without 
realizing it pays 
homage to Charles 
Babbage, the 
nineteenth century 
designer of the first 
computer. 

Bigger and Better 

About 150 years later, Arnold Edel¬ 
stein returned the computer to its origins 
in weaving and textiles. Edelstein took 
up weaving after finishing the writing of 
a book during his sabbatical. His work 
followed the weaving tradition brought 
to Hawaii by New England missionaries 
in the nineteenth century. Starting with 
their traditional blue-and-white star pat¬ 
terns, he moved into his own style of 
earth-toned, free-flowing abstract de¬ 
signs. He progressed from a simple two- 
harness tapestry loom, similar to the 
ones the Navajo use for weaving rugs, to 
an eight-harness floor loom. 

He worked out his designs for rugs 
and wall hangings on a grid formed by 
the intersection of two dimensions. The 
boxes so created represented design 
blocks. By varying the order of any¬ 
where from two to eight design blocks, 
different patterns could be created. The 
pattern was then translated into a thread¬ 
ing diagram and a treadling diagram, 
controlling the order in which threads 
were entered onto the loom and raised 


6000 

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DATA 

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6006 

20 

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41 


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6000 

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LDA 

#$FF 

600E 

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1264 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


































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25 

30 


157 


6113 

51 

26 


158 


6115 

91 

26 


159 


6117 

60 



160 



-END ASSEMBLY- 
ERRORS: 0 


PLA 

STA HBASH 

ASL 

ASL 

ASL 

ROL HBASH 
ASL 

ROL HBASH 
ASL 

HBASL 
LDA HBASH 
AND #$1F 
ORA HPAG 
STA HBASH 
TXA 

CPY #$00 
BEQ HP0SN2 
LDY #$23 
ADC #$04 
INY 

SBC #$07 
BCS HP0SN1 
STY HNDX 
TAX 

LDA INIT.X ; Offset to MASK 

STA $30 

TYA 

LSR 

LDA HCOLR 
BCC HP0SN3 
ASL 

ADC #$00 
STA $1C 
RTS 


HEX 01020408102040 ; This is the MASK 

JSR HPOSN 

EOR (HBASL).Y 

AND $30 

EOR (HBASL).Y 

STA (HBASL).Y 

RTS 


and lowered during the weaving pro¬ 
cess. 

His works grew in size and complex¬ 
ity; he began to make 9-foot-long linen 
and silk weavings. Working with costly 
materials on such a grand scale required 
careful calculations. 

Edelstein also liked working on the 
concrete problems of developing good 
design and technique and of combining 
color and texture to achieve the effects 
he desired. It was a welcome change 
from grappling with the vagaries of 
teaching the American novel. Each work 
represented a tangible aesthetic problem. 
According to Edelstein: “When the 
piece is finished, so is the problem. 
Before and After 

This same interest in practical prob¬ 
lem solving led him to computers. He 
became interested when his wife took a 
statistics class involving computers. In¬ 
trigued, Edelstein began using her 
access number to experiment with the 
University’s Hewlett Packard and be- 


280 BYTES 


SYMBOL TABLE - ALPHABETICAL ORDER: 


BEGIN 

=$6053 

C0MP1 

=$6076 

COMPARE 

=$605E 

DATA =$6000 

GRAPH1 

=$60A7 

GRAPH2 

=$60A8 

GRAPHIC 

=$6090 

HBASH =$27 

HBASL 

=$26 

HCOLR 

=$032C 

HIRES 

=$C057 

HNDX =$032D 

HPAG 

=$032E 

HPLOT 

=$610C 

HPOSN 

=$60B6 

HP0SN1 =$60EA 

HP0SN2 

=$60EB 

HP0SN3 

=$6102 

INIT 

=$600C 

MATCH =$6081 

MIXCLR 

=$C052 

MIXSET 

=$C053 

NEXT 

=$602C 

NEXT1 =$6044 

TXTCLR 

=$C050 

XOH 

=$0329 

XOL 

=$0328 

XHBUFF =$4100 

XLBUFF 

=$4000 

YO 

=$032A 

YBUFF 

=$4200 


SYMBOL TABLE - NUMERICAL ORDER: 




HBASL 

=$26 

HBASH 

=$27 

XOL 

=$0328 

XOH =$0329 

YO 

=$032A 

HCOLR 

=$032C 

HNDX 

=$032D 

HPAG =$032E 

XLBUFF 

=$4000 

XHBUFF 

=$4100 

YBUFF 

=$4200 

DATA =$6000 

INIT 

=$600C 

NEXT 

=$602C 

NEXT 

=$6044 

BEGIN =$6053 

COMPARE 

! =$605E 

C0MP1 

=$6076 

MATCH 

=$6081 

GRAPHIC =$6090 

GRAPH1 

=$60A7 

GRAPH2 

=$60A8 

HPOSN 

=$60B6 

HP0SN1 =$60EA 

HP0SN2 

=$60EB 

HP0SN3 

=$6102 

HPLOT 

=$610C 

TXTCLR =$C050 

MIXCLR 

=$C052 

MIXSET 

=$C053 

HIRES 

=$C057 



Applesoft Driver 

1 0NERR GOTO 10000 

2 DIM A(279) 

5 FOR I = 0 TO 279 

10 READ A(I) : NEXT 

12 FOR I = 0 TO 191 

15 POKE 16384 + I,A(I) : REM "X" buffer 

20 POKE 16896 + I,A(I) : REM "Y" buffer 

30 NEXT I 

40 FOR I = 192 TO 279 

45 POKE 16384 + I.A(I): REM "X" buffer 

50 NEXT I 

70 IF PEEK (24582) + PEEK (24583) + PEEK (24584) < > 272 THEN PRINT 
CHR$ (4)"BL0AD WEAVE" 

80 CALL 24582 
90 REM 

The numbers refer to pattern blocks 

100 DATA 4,3,2,1,1,1,8,7,6,5,6,7,8,1,1,1,2,2,3,3,3,4,3,3.4,3,3,4,3,4,3,3, 
4,3,3,4,3.3,3,2,2,1,1,8,7,6,5,6,7,8 
110 DATA 1,1,1,2,3,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,4,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,3,2 
120 DATA 1,1,1,2,3,4,3,2.1,2,3.4,4,4,3,2,1,2,3,4.3,2 
130 DATA 1,1,1,2,3,4,3,2.1,2,3,4.4,4.3.2,1,2,3 
9000 END 

9999 REM 

The error routine makes sure the "X" array will cover the screen by repeating 
the pattern. 

10000 IF PEEK (222) < > 42 THEN PRINT "ERROR #"; PEEK (222) IN LINE"; 

PEEK (218) + PEEK (219) * 256: END 

10010 N = I 

10020 FOR I = N TO 279 
10030 A( I) - A( I - N) 

10040 NEXT I 
10050 GOTO 12 


t Before getting the 
Apple each design 
took about 45 
minutes. With the 
Apple, he could 
write a simple 
program to speed 
up the process. 

came hooked. He purchased an Apple, 
particularly because of its high-resolu¬ 
tion graphics. 

Before getting the Apple, he designed 
weaving patterns with graph paper and 
felt-tip pens. Each design took about 45 
minutes. With the Apple, he could write 
a simple program to speed up the pro¬ 
cess. 

Using the Applesoft handbook as his 
guide, he wrote a simple program repre¬ 
senting the vertical and horizontal 
dimensions of his loom. He would enter 
the pattern in data statements, read it into 
an array representing the x-dimension, 
restore and then read it into a second 
array representing the y-dimension. A 
double loop would compare the two 
arrays and plot a point where the values 
were equal. If they were not equal, a 
blank was left. The program generated 
28-inch x 19-inch pattern drafts on 
cross-section paper set at 10 units per 
inch. 

This was a tremendous improvement 
over the old method. Each design now 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M27 






















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took about only 7 or 8 minutes. But tlu 
process still seemed inefficient to Edel 
stein because it took too long to generate 
each design possibility. As he said, “I 
could still go out and have a beer” in (Ik 
time it took for each pattern to appear on 
the screen. It occurred to him that hr 
might get faster results if he rewrote his 
BASIC program in assembly language. 
On to BASICs 

Assembly language is one step closei 
than BASIC to the actual operation of the 
computer. It is one step above machine 
language because it is the language the 
computer “thinks” in. BASIC actually 
is a program driven by assembly lan 
guage. 

Rewriting the program in assembly 
language would increase processing efli 
ciency. To do this, he had to manipulate 
how the computer went about executing 
the tasks he assigned it. He would be 
able to dictate at a more fundamental lev 
el how he wanted the machine to perform 
the programmed task. 

A mini-assembler would have en¬ 
abled him to write instructions in assem¬ 
bly language and would, in turn, have i 
translated his instructions into machine 
language. However, Edelstein didn’t 
own the only mini-assembler on the mar 
ket at that time. He found it primitive 
and was not tempted to buy it. He would | 
have to use other means to attack the | 
problem. 


In short, Babbage 
envisioned 
the modern 
computer... 

What Babbage 
lacked Was 
electronics. He was 
ahead of his time. 


As he soon discovered, there were 
few available books or manuals on the 
use of assembly language with the 
Apple. Edelstein checked with the store 
where he bought his Apple, to no avail 
He and his local user group struggled to 
teach themselves assembly language 
“It was awful,” he said. “It took us 
about 4 hours to learn how to add.” 

Finally, he was able to get some 
information from CALL-A.P.P.L.E., the 
publication of the Puget Sound Users’ 
Group. He came across a book on the 
PET 6502, the Apple’s microprocessoi 
These guides enabled him to translate his 
BASIC program into assembly lan 
guage. 


1284 A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 
























































The program began as before, with 
two arrays and Applesoft data state¬ 
ments. Instead of comparing the arrays 
in BASIC, they were poked into two 
buffers. Assembly language then ran the 

► He could now 
look at an entire 
series of design 
variations in the 
time previously 
required to map out 
a single design. 

loops, indexing one array with the x- 
register and the other with the y-register. 
When a match was made, the program 
did a subroutine to a plot routine that 
Edelstein copied from the graphics pack¬ 
age accompanying the Apple. The 
results were satisfying; it now took 7 sec¬ 
onds to fill the screen with a pattern of 
his design. 

He could now look at an entire series 
of design variations in the time previous¬ 
ly required to map out a single design by 
hand. Studying the images, he could 
quickly pick designs for production or 
save each one for future reference as it 
came up. The EXEC command allowed 
him to switch back and forth between 
two or three variations. He could devel¬ 
op a central pattern that he liked and put 
three alternative borders on a loop. He 
could then decide which of the three 
combinations represented the best design 
solution. 

After settling on a pattern, he used 
another program he developed to convert 
the pattern draft into a threading list. The 
list could either be copied from the ter¬ 
minal screen or printed out on hard copy 
that could be taken directly to the loom. 
After creating a threading list, he could 
use still another program to determine 
the amount of yam needed for both warp 
and weft (fixed threads and cross 
threads). The width or number of thread, 
the kind of yam, and the yam size would 
be entered, and the amount of yam he 
needed would be computed in both 
ounces and grams. 

Because he also exhibited and sold 
many of his pieces, he used his Apple for 
the business management of his craft. He 
created a small general ledger program 
for Edelstein Eccentricities, the name he 
gave to his business. He wrote a yam 
inventory prgram that calculated the 
amount and cost of yam by type and by 
piece of completed work, and a finished 
work program that kept track of each 



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A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M29 





































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CIRCLE 168 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


piece by status, title, and description. 

Eventually, he acquired a black-anil 
white monitor, which gave him bettei 
resolution than his terminal screen. He 
became aware that the colors available 
on the Apple were not true to the colors 
of his yams, if only because spectro 
scopic light cannot have the same quali 
ties as reflected light. He felt that the 
effects of color and texture created when 
yams are twisted together and intermin 
gled could not be simulated on the 
screen. Edelstein now relies on his 
native color sense to determine color 
choice, once he has chosen one of his 
computer-aided designs. 

Babbage’s Dream Come True 

Recently, a commercial manufacturer 
of looms for craftspeople developed 
software for its semiautomatic loom. 
The Macomber Company has two pro¬ 
grams for its Dobby loom; one is for 
design purposes, much like Arnold Edel- 
stein’s. The other actually runs the loom. 
It is reminiscent of Charles Babbage’s 
dream of skilled home weavers empow¬ 
ered by automation. 

k‘\ could still 
r go out and have 
a beer” in the 
time it took for 
each pattern to 
appear on the 
screen. 

In spite of the efficiency gains that 
this package represents, Edelstein is not 
interested. He enjoys the entire process, 
from conceptual work to the actual 
weaving, and he has no interest in auto¬ 
mating himself out of the picture. His 
goal has never been to fully automate his 
weaving, but to enhance the creative 
aspects and minimize the routine ones. 
The results of his decision to rely on his 
intuition instead of the Apple generated 
colors in designing tapestries, for exam 
pie, greatly pleased him. 

AppleWeave is merely a tool. It is 
different from computer-generated art in 
that it is not a demonstration of intellec¬ 
tual virtuosity or technical expertise. Ii 
is, instead, a vehicle that fosters the art 
ist’s creativity. 

Edelstein’s Eccentricities has sul 
fered a bit during the last 2 years, due to 
Edelstein’s decision to tour China 
When the time came for his trip. In 
unplugged his Apple and took it wifI• 
him. “But,” he says, “that’s anothei 
story.” *fr 


130 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 





















































IT’S AN APPOINTMENT BOOK! 
SEE-A-WEEK CALENDAR 

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■ First Aid Tips 

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■ Average Temperatures for Most 
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■ Rank and Population of the Top 
100 U.S. Cities 

■ Traveling Distances 

M Toll-Free Telephone Numbers for 
Major Airlines, Auto Rentals, Hotels, 
Motels and much more! 

MISCELLANEOUS 
This section is filled with valu¬ 
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Holidays, French and California 
Wine Vintage Charts and more. 

DIRECTORY 


1984 

Business Activity 
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FINANCIAL RECORD KEEPER 
M 12 Income and Expense Reports 

■ 1984 Business Tax Calendar 

■ Executive Compensation Checklist 

■ Personal Investment Portfolio 


THINGS TO DO TODAY 
■ Keep track of important follow-ups, 
telephone calls and correspondence. 


HEALTH AND FITNESS AID 

M Fat - Cholesterol - Calorie Charts 
M Value of Various Exercises 


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Seymour Papert 
talks about the 
role of 

computers in 
education—and 
the role of 
education in 
computers. 


As the debate over the 
true worth of microcom¬ 
puters in the classroom 
brews, experts on both 
sides likely will find them 
selves faced with the con¬ 
troversial ideas of Sey¬ 


mour Papert, a computer 
scientist best known for 
his theories on the role of 
computers in education 
and society. 

A professor at the Mas¬ 
sachusetts Institute of 
Technology for the last 20 
years, the 53-year-old Pa¬ 
pert also is a highly re¬ 
garded mathematician, an 
author, and an epistemol- 


ogist. 

In his career. Dr. Pa¬ 
pert, who holds a Ph.I). 
in the mathematics field, 
has focused on such 
weighty issues as: Are 
schools as we know them 
obsolete? Is mathematics 


zz 


132 < A+ MAGAZINE/N0VEMBER 1983 




























































111 inborn aptitude, or 
iloes it appear that way 
■•illy because of the way 
discipline has been 
night? Can the personal 
oniputer change the way 


we learn and think? 

Dr. Papert discussed 
these issues in his ac¬ 
claimed book, Mind- 
storms , published in 


1980. Fie gathered this in¬ 
formation through 15 
years of working with 
children at MIT’s artifi¬ 
cial intelligence laborato¬ 
ry. Through those experi¬ 
ments begun in the 1960s, 
he and MIT colleague 
Marvin Minsky investigat¬ 
ed the nature of both hu¬ 


man and artificial intelli¬ 
gence and devised the 
computer language, Logo. 

Dr. Papert’s introduc¬ 
tion to child development 
came earlier in his career 
when he worked in Gene¬ 
va with Jean Piaget, the 
renowned Swiss child psy¬ 
chologist. He began his 
formal education in his 
native South Africa and 



























































then went on to Cambridge and Paris. 

Although Dr. Papert and his col¬ 
league developed Logo more than 15 
years ago, it wasn’t until the late 1970s 
that the language gained recognition. 
Texas Instruments Corp. (TI) first adapt¬ 
ed Logo for use on personal computers. 
Later, TI financed an experimental pro¬ 
gram using Logo at the Lamplighter 

^ I’ve criticized the 
educational world 
today not because 
it’s got schools, but, 
because it’s stuck in 
the rut. 

School in Dallas. Today, the language is 
found in many different versions, appli¬ 
cable to other personal computers, 
including several for the Apple II. Dr. 
Papert is a founding principal in Logo 
Computer Systems, Inc., a Canadian 
firm that develops the version of the lan¬ 
guage sold by Apple Computer, Inc. 

Logo is interpreted through a turtle, a 
triangular-shaped cursor on the comput¬ 
er monitor which draws geometric 
shapes and complex designs on the 
screen in response to receiving simple 
commands. The language itself is based 
on the artificial intelligence language 
called LISP. Proponents contend that the 
Logo language is better than BASIC, for 
instance, because it is more like a natural 
language and therefore much easier to 
learn. Moreover, Logo is so simple to 
understand that kindergarten children 
can program the computer using it. 

A constant student and ever the epis- 
temologist, Dr. Papert continues to test 
through his own pursuits the study of 
what knowledge is and how people 
acquire it. In his spare time, Dr. Papert 
has taught himself to juggle, fly an air¬ 
plane and read Chinese. 

The following is taken from a two- 
hour interview with Dr. Papert: 

A + : In a world of the future what sort of 
changes in our culture and in our educa¬ 
tional system do you see, or hope to see, 
come from the widespread use of person¬ 
al computers? 

Papert: What I think is most critical is 
whether the computer and computer cul¬ 
ture will be continuous with the kind of 
computers and computer culture we have 
now, or whether we will break out of that 
continuity and produce a totally different 
set of computer cultures. I think this is 
really the key issue. Computers have 
been made essentially by engineers who 
1344 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


invented them, with some input from 
mathematicians. And I think that every¬ 
thing about them, the form that they 
have, and the way that you interact with 
them, the languages and metaphors and 
the way people think about them, repre¬ 
sent a coherent projection of a certain 
subculture in our society. It’s technically 
oriented and very male. In America, it’s 
very white. On a world scale, it’s very 
Euro-American, and it’s very white, 
too. 

People whose approach to reality is 
more oriented towards people, those 
who are more psychological, who are 
less analytic, are excluded from this 
computer culture. Now I don’t think the 
role of the computer culture is to bring 
them into it. This is often said to be the 
importance of the computer, that it will 
teach the nonanalytic people to think 
analytically. Of course, it will do that, 
but that’s not the important thing. What I 
would like to see in the world of the 
future is not the computer changing peo¬ 
ple into something that they aren’t, mak¬ 
ing everybody like a computerist, rather 
I would like to see the computer being 
able to let everybody be more of what 
they are. In order for that to happen the 
computer has to be remade in many dif¬ 
ferent images. I think that’s really what 
I’m most hopeful of. I call that appropri¬ 
ation of the computer by individuals, by 
cultures. 

A + : What do you mean by remaking the 
computer in different images? 

Papert: Well, for example, I’ve seen 
how children use Logo computers. Some 
children use them in a way that you 
would expect from a computer science 
point of view. They like to be very ana¬ 
lytic and they like thinking of linear pro¬ 
grams and they like subdividing the 
problem, and so on. I’ve been calling 
that the “hard style” of computer pro¬ 
gramming. But I also noticed that if you 
create a situation where children can 
really get enough access to a computer to 
do what they want with it, children who 
don’t like to think like that can use it in a 
very different way. They don’t start off 
by analyzing the problem, they start off 
by doing something simple and modify¬ 
ing it interactively. 

The Space Shuttle example (at the 
Lamplighter School in Dallas) is the 
most dramatic example I saw. Here was 
a whole community of kids that got 
involved in something that had a kind of 
sense of importance to them. (Interview¬ 
er's note: the children had seen the first 
space shuttle go up on television and the 
next day they spontaneously started 
drawing space shuttles on their class¬ 


room computers.) 

There were the “hard” ones who did 
it in the way you would expect a tradi 
tional computer scientist to do it: you 
imagine what you’d like to have—thin 
your plan—and then you translate till* 
plan into sub-plans and you write stih 
procedures and you hope it gets straighi 
in your head and then you type it into 11 >• 
machine and it runs. That’s the idea df 
it. 

The other kid puts a blob on tin 
screen and sort of likes it. Then he mod 
ifies it a little and gradually builds it tip 
into something much more complicated 
He’s not doing a simpler job; he’s not 
learning less. Much that he’s learning i 
the same stuff. But he’s interacting with 
reality in a profoundly different way, iiwi 
way that corresponds with his persona 1 1 

ty- 

A + : Are these differences cultural m 
biological? 

Papert: I think you’ve got to say nobody 
knows. But the presence of computers, 
which is going to allow many differcni 
approaches to thinking about the same 
problem to flourish, is going to allow us 
for the first time to really understand 
how many of these things are cultural 

^We hardly 
understand the deep 
psychology of what 
makes games so 
exciting it’s clear that 
some very powerful 
things are at work. 

and how many of these things have bit) 
logical roots. 

Obviously, there’s some sort of mix 
ture of both and how much of each 
nobody can say. I’m inclined to thin! 
that people just are very different initial 
ly, but that these differences are much 
more fundamental things than whet I h i 
you’re good at math or not good at math 
I don’t think that’s innate at all. I think 
what’s innate is personality difference*. 
. . . very elemental kinds of differences 
which result because of a process ol 
interaction with a particular society and ii 
particular culture and the kind of way in 
which children have access to know! 
edge. These differences give rise (<• 
some kids taking to mathematics and 
some not. 

A + : Isn’t it true, though, that cerium 
people seem to have natural aptitudes lm 
doing certain things well, such as muM* 


































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or mechanics? 

Papert: Well, I can mention my favorite 
example from Mindstorms, if you were 
to judge from looking at America, peo¬ 
ple who were bom on this side of the 
Atlantic, unless they happen to be in 
Quebec, somehow systematically have a 
poor aptitude for French. Obviously 
people have aptitudes that are different, 
but before we can conclude that this is an 
aptitude for French, or for mathematics, 
we’ve got to understand a lot more about 
how that child or that person would have 
developed under different circum¬ 
stances. 

I think there’s a very powerful per- 

^Will the major effect 
of the computer be a 
greater presence of 
mathematical and 
scientific and 
technological 
thinking? 


sonality difference that shows itself in 
the difference between obsessionality 
and hysteria in personality types. And, 
I’m prepared to believe that it’s very 
deeply rooted in biological things. In any 
case, it gets established very early in 
life. 

What I’m sure of is that those who are 
on the obsessional side of life have an 
infinitely better chance of doing well in 
mathematics in our world in the culture 
we offer them. And 1 also know for a fact 
now from our experience in computers 
that many who are on the other side— 
who you’d think had no aptitude for 
mathematics and simply don’t do it— 
pick it up very easily if you put them in 
the right sort of computer environment 
where they can pick up mathematics in a 
more hysterical style, a more active 
style. 

A + : Would you elaborate a bit more on 
what you mean by obsessional and hys¬ 
terical personalities? 

Papert: The obsessional is the one who 
likes writing little details, is concerned 
with detail, who likes to see things in a 
fine sort of way, who likes to concentrate 
on detail. So a person who will sit down 
happily putting numbers on squared 
paper tends to be obsessional. Whereas 
the other one (hysterical) likes to see the 
results, is more attracted to the broad 
brush, to respond to the activity—to not 
defer the emotional response but to do 
things that have it mixed up in them a 
136 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


high degree of excitement. 

A + : Is this “creativity” versus some¬ 
thing else? 

Papert: No. Obsessionals can be ex¬ 
tremely creative. 

A + : Are you talking about the notion of 
left brain-right brain influence on think¬ 
ing and problem solving? 

Papert: That’s one division I think is 
more complicated. There are many more 
dimensions in which people differ than 
that. I think it’s a fair rule that whenever 
anyone says there are two kinds of any¬ 
thing, it might be true in a sense but it 
must be oversimplified. 

A + : Might one be more analytical and 
the other more intuitive? 

Papert: I don’t believe those categories 
are very good for (describing it). For that 
matter, when I say obsessional and hys¬ 
teric I think that we’re beginning to see a 
very systematic difference in people, but 
we’re just beginning to see it. It’s a very 
intuitive concept. I don’t know yet how 
to spell it out in detail. 

A + : In your book Mindstorms , you 
focus mainly on math and physics in 
your examples of how the computer can 
change attitudes. Do you feel these sub¬ 
ject areas will be the most fruitful areas 
in which to use computers? 

Papert: Will the major effect of the 
computer be to cause a greater presence 
of mathematical and scientific and tech¬ 
nological thinking? It might very well be 
because in the nature of the world, in the 
nature of the fact that industry and pro¬ 
duction and getting things to happen 
depends on technology and harnessing 
the physial sciences, there’s a great need 
for that and so it might be that’s the way 
the computer is used. 

A + : Those are applications. I was think¬ 
ing more about math and the physical 
sciences being the undiscovered apti¬ 
tudes that are most likely to come out 
through use of computers in education. 
Papert: No, I don’t think so. I think that 
the literary is just as likely to come out. 
In fact I think that the profoundest 
impact of the computer on the learning 
process in the next generation is going to 
be on the process of acquiring language 
and using it. The presence of keyboards 
in the lives of preschool children gives a 
new approach to the alphabetic lan¬ 
guage, the written language. 

We’re seeing preschool children 
learning the alphabetic language as a 
direct instrument of controlling their 
work. This is a profoundly different 
route into the written language than that 
which is practiced in our education sys¬ 
tem today. The written language is seen 
as a way of coding the spoken language 


and we are seeing three- and four-ycm 
old children beginning to master the K« \ 
board and beginning to master the alpha 
bet through the keyboard. 

A + : But does it really matter if they <l» • •• 
at an earlier age or later? If children ,n. 
going to develop these skills anywn\ 
does it really make any difference if tin 
development is speeded up? 

Papert: I think what matters is the In 
mendous psychological boost this given 
a child. I emphasize this more will* 
mathematics in Mindstorms but I’d sn\ 
the same about writing. The major effn i 
of bad mathematics education on sociri\ 
is not that there are fewer people win* 
can do mathematics but that there is (In 
psychologically destructive effect ol 
when it (mathematics education) fails 
The schools are just not very good I'm 
getting people into mathematical think 
ing. It might be okay for children who 
have acquired somehow an intuitive 
sense of mathematics for them to acquire 
more formal detail, but it’s not for those 
who come in not being able to think 
mathematically. They very seldom ac¬ 
quire that in school. 

So they’re put in this frustrating “pul 
down” situation that’s enormously de¬ 
structive psychologically. Same thing 
about writing. So I think the major ques¬ 
tion is not the age at which it happens bill 
protecting the children from the frustraj 
ing and psychologically damaging ef¬ 
fects of society’s clumsy attempts to 
force unnatural modes of learning and 
teaching on them. 

A + : In your writings and speeches 
you’ve been quite critical of existing 
school structures saying that the schools 

There’s no question in 
my mind that the 
computer could 
enormously 
exacerbate 
inequality just as 
much as it could 
bridge it. 

of today are obsolete. You’ve described 
yourself as an educational utopian 
although I think you might even be said 
to be an educational anarchist. In any 
case, in what ways do you see the per 
sonal computer changing schools? 
Papert: I have to make two correction:. 
First, there are many senses of the woid 
“critical.” In one sense being critical r 
somehow blaming it, “It did a bail 

























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Columns on the most popular personal 
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velopers and game inventors—men and 
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the difference between obsessionality 
and hysteria in personality types. And, 
I’m prepared to believe that it’s very 
deeply rooted in biological things. In any 
case, it gets established very early in 
life. 

What I’m sure of is that those who are 
on the obsessional side of life have an 
infinitely better chance of doing well in 
mathematics in our world in the culture 
we offer them. And I also know for a fact 
now from our experience in computers 
that many who are on the other side— 
who you’d think had no aptitude for 
mathematics and simply don’t do it— 
pick it up very easily if you put them in 
the right sort of computer environment 
where they can pick up mathematics in a 
more hysterical style, a more active 
style. 

A + : Would you elaborate a bit more on 
what you mean by obsessional and hys¬ 
terical personalities? 

Papert: The obsessional is the one who 
likes writing little details, is concerned 
with detail, who likes to see things in a 
fine sort of way, who likes to concentrate 
on detail. So a person who will sit down 
happily putting numbers on squared 
paper tends to be obsessional. Whereas 
the other one (hysterical) likes to see the 
results, is more attracted to the broad 
brush, to respond to the activity—to not 
defer the emotional response but to do 
things that have it mixed up in them a 
136< A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


in which to use computers? 

Papert: Will the major effect of the 
computer be to cause a greater presence 
of mathematical and scientific and tech¬ 
nological thinking? It might very well be 
because in the nature of the world, in the 
nature of the fact that industry and pro¬ 
duction and getting things to happen 
depends on technology and harnessing 
the physial sciences, there’s a great need 
for that and so it might be that’s the way 
the computer is used. 

A + : Those are applications. I was think¬ 
ing more about math and the physical 
sciences being the undiscovered apti¬ 
tudes that are most likely to come out 
through use of computers in education. 
Papert: No, I don’t think so. I think that 
the literary is just as likely to come out. 
In fact I think that the profoundest 
impact of the computer on the learning 
process in the next generation is going to 
be on the process of acquiring language 
and using it. The presence of keyboards 
in the lives of preschool children gives a 
new approach to the alphabetic lan¬ 
guage, the written language. 

We’re seeing preschool children 
learning the alphabetic language as a 
direct instrument of controlling their 
work. This is a profoundly different 
route into the written language than that 
which is practiced in our education sys¬ 
tem today. The written language is seen 
as a way of coding the spoken language 


structive psychologically. Same thin;- I 
about writing. So I think the major qucs I 
tion is not the age at which it happens bin 
protecting the children from the frustrat 
ing and psychologically damaging H 
fects of society’s clumsy attempts to 
force unnatural modes of learning and 
teaching on them. 

A + : In your writings and speeches 
you’ve been quite critical of existin;* 
school structures saying that the school:. 

There’s no question in 
my mind that the 
computer could 
enormously 
exacerbate 
inequality just as 
much as it could 
bridge it. 

of today are obsolete. You’ve described 
yourself as an educational utopian 
although I think you might even be said 
to be an educational anarchist. In any 
case, in what ways do you see the per 
sonal computer changing schools? 
Papert: I have to make two corrections 
First, there are many senses of the word 
“critical.” In one sense being critical is 
somehow blaming it, “It did a bad 









































































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## , 








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Every month Creative Computing provides 
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We give you probing features on program¬ 
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in-depth articles on elementary, intermediate 
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systems, music synthesis, control of 
household devices, communications, 
games—some of the applications and soft¬ 
ware you’ll learn about in Creative 
Computing. 


Creative Computing 
covers computer 
education in depth. 

We started out as a computer education 
publication, and we’re still committed to the 
educational community. We regularly carry 
articles on designing educational software, 
evaluating educational software, teaching 
concepts and terminology in computer 
education, text editing applications for lit¬ 
erature and computer simulations in the 
classroom—plus a great deal more. 


Our price is right. 

By subscribing to Creative 
Computing now, you can save 
as much as 33% off the full 
subscription price. To learn 
elsewhere what you’ll learn from Creative 
Computing, you might spend hundreds of 
dollars in course fees and books. Then 
you’d have to winnow out what you could 
use from all that you’d learned. But Cre¬ 
ative Computing does that for you, so you’ll 
have time to enjoy your own computing 
interests. And that saving of time makes 
this offer very inexpensive indeed. 


Join over 150,000 
Creative Computing readers 
by subscribing today! 
Just use the coupon 
at right 


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applications in simple, 
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And all the software available for business 
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is best for you. 

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files arm you with the facts before you walk 
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brings you hours of 
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entertainment. 

We’ve got a soft spot for the computer 
game addict—and computer game soft¬ 
ware. We know you want to understand 
more about the new computer games 
flooding the market: which ones are easi¬ 
est to learn? Require the most skill? Offer 
the most surprises? Give you the best 
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brings you the answers. 


Creative Computing 
features the state of 
the art. 

Columns on the most popular personal 
computers, a “software legal forum,” let¬ 
ters to the editor. Reviews of books, 
games, organizations, dealers and events. 
Fascinating interviews with leading inno¬ 
vators, equipment designers, program de¬ 
velopers and game inventors—men and 
women who’ll give you a real glimpse of the 
future! 


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YES! Send me Creative Computing for: 

□ One year (12 issues) for $19.97—1 save 20%! 

Q Two years (24 issues) for $36.97—1 save 26%! 

Q Three years (36 issues) for $49.97—1 save 33%! 

Savings based on full one-year subscription price of $24.97. 

Check one: □ Payment enclosed. □ Bill me later. 8H625 


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thing.” I’m not critical in that sense. I 
think that school as we know it didn’t 
happen like that because people were 
bad or stupid, it happened like that 
because it had to. I don’t think we had 
choices, “we” being society. 

I think if you look back at the history 
of educational criticism it’s been like 
criticizing the waves for beating on the 
shore and making a lot of noise. You 
can’t stop it. You recognize a natural 
process. 

I think what the computer opens up is 
the possibility of changing, of offering 
us a greater choice of how we can intro¬ 
duce children into our culture. So I’m 
critical in the sense that to continue the 
school after it’s become anachronistic 
due to material conditions (i.e., comput¬ 
ers) that make it possible to do some¬ 
thing else, that’s bad. I’ve criticized the 
educational world today not because it’s 
got schools, but, because it’s stuck in the 
rut and finds itself hard to break out of 
being able to think. You’ve got to have 
school as we’ve known it. 

I don’t know what you mean by anar¬ 
chist, either. I’m not against a structured 
environment for children, but what I am 
against is the idea that thinking happens 
and can be imposed in a structured way. 
I think there probably isn’t a single edu¬ 


cational theorist in the world who really 
believes that—that you can impose 
structure on a growing mind—as op¬ 
posed to creating the conditions where 
the structure will grow. 

A + : Do you advocate doing away with 
classrooms and/or emphasizing educa¬ 
tion at home? 

^There will be new 
r ways of thinking, new 
kinds of theoretical 
analysis in 
anthropology and 
logic and the 
relationship of 
people to knowledge 
and to culture. 

Papert: I think it would be a social 
disaster if we moved into a situation 
where children spend most of their time 
in the home and in the family. If children 
did not come out and interract with other 
children in different environments, and 
with other adults, I think there is every 
reason to believe it would be something 
catastrophic. 


People say I criticize classroom:, m 
say we shouldn’t have them, and i!n< 1 
forget about all the things that happt n m ] 
the class besides learning arithm.it' 
There’s spelling and all this social ini' • 
action and learning to deal with peopl. 
This I’ve found the most infuriating u II 
icism because—I don’t suppose it’s u nl 
ly made in bad faith—but it just slm 
how deeply rooted people’s minds an •• 
the assumption that the way things In 
always been is the way they have i 
be. 

Let’s ask the question a little dill, i 
ently: Suppose you were to set oul .m»i 
say, “I’d like to design the ideal kind "i 
conditions for children to learn social 
skills, how they think of one another and 
how to interact with children and 
adults. ’ ’ When you think of socializal u »i» 
as the goal, I think the chance thal you 
would decide to put them into groups <»l 
30 where they’re going to learn the mill 
tiplication tables—is very unlikely. 

Obviously, you’ve got to think aboul 
how children should enter society in 
social ways, but in the school that goal r 
systematically deformed by being mixed 
up in the need to teach them the mulli 
plication tables, for example, and a lot o! 
other needs of this sort. I think what tin 
computer presence is going to allow us to 


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do is to disassociate these so that society 
can think about, experiment with new 
forms of social environments for chil¬ 
dren without it being constantly weighed 
down and deformed by a particular set of 
rote learning that has to be imposed on 
the children. 

A + : I don’t suppose there’s much indi¬ 
cation that anyone is going to do this 
kind of experimentation? 

Papert: Oh, there’s absolutely every 
indication. This idea of the School of the 
Future, this idea of making experimental 
schools in which we go as far as we can 
towards simulating the future is catching 
on. It’s hardly a mass movement, there 
hasn’t been one created yet, but the num¬ 
ber of people in a position to do it who 
have begun to manifest an interest is 
quite impressive. 

1 believe what is (happening) in New 
York City will be the beginning. I 
believe in three or four other cities in the 
U.S. and in some in other countries we 
will sec at least a half a dozen such 
experiments in the next year or two. If 
there are 6 or 10, between the 6 or 10 
there will be enough variation so that it’ll 
become apparent at least some of the 
ways in which very dramatic, unexpect¬ 
ed results can be obtained. As soon as 
that happens I think the people of the 


world will start demanding something 
better for their children. People accept 
school because they haven’t seen an 
alternative. 

^The computer is 
going to allow us to 
experiment with new 
forms of social 
environments for 
children. 

A + : Would you describe the New York 
school experiment? 

Papert: Well, the first assumption is that 
all children will have free access to quite 
a lot of computer power. You could say 
it’s like every child having a computer. 
This computer will be integrated into 
everything a child does, as a writing 
instrument, as a music-making instru¬ 
ment, and so forth. In writing, for exam¬ 
ple, it’ll be used as a word processor, as 
a dictionary, as a way of keeping a filing 
system for doing a research project and 
as a communication system between 
kids and kids, and between kids and 
teachers. 

There is a sense of anarchism in the 


concept that I don’t think we should 
back and redesign the school curriculum 
first. We’ll start off by introducing il> 
computer in those ways that it can I* 
picked up. For example, writing takr. * 
large part of a child’s time and is on« ui 
the big blocks in elementary school 
especially in the areas we’re workilit 
the disadvantaged areas of urban Ni 
York. That’s a very big issue and |n * 
having a computer instead of a pent l! 
immediately makes a big difference 
A + : Is it possible that in bringing oui 
certain hidden positive qualities in soon 
kids it may turn off others? That \v« 
might end up replacing a math elite will 
a computer elite and perhaps even creitit 
computer phobia among kids who can 
relate to a computer? 

Papert: Yes, all of these things can hap 
pen. I think that our job shouldn’t lx* t« 
predict whether it will happen or not bu 
to be aware of all the positive things, am 
all the negative things, that could hap 
pen, and work as hard as we can i< 

A + : But have you seen any evidence o 
this happening? 

Papert: Oh, absolutely. It’s very clca 
that typically the way computers an 
dumped on children in schools you sei 
very clearly a polarization there. Then*’ 


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CIRCLE 204 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


SOFTSMITH 


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a small group of usually boys, a certain 
aggressive personality type, somewhat 
mathematical already. The boys take 
over this computer and the girls get 
excluded and this undoubtedly colors 
their (the girls) perception of the com¬ 
puter; it’s associated for them with a put- 
down and inferiority and they seem to 
find themselves saying ‘That’s not for 
me,’ or ‘I’m not for that.’ There’s no 
question you have that. 

This goes back to the question of 
whether the computer will have the 
effect of reinforcing the structures 
already with us or changing them. For 
example, the split between those who 
can have access to knowledge and those 
who don’t. There’s no question in my 
mind that the computer could enormous¬ 
ly exacerbate inequality just as much as 
it could bridge it and be the instrument 
for democratization. It could go either 
way. 

A*: Most of the examples in your book 
Mindstorms come from your work at 
MIT where children have been able to 
use powerful computing equipment 
that’s very different from what’s com¬ 
monly available. This would seem to 
limit the universality of your conclu¬ 
sions. 

Papert: This is changing because the 
book (published in 1980) was written 
just about the time when the micro rev¬ 
olution started happening. So during 
most of that formative period of my 
thinking, with those experiments it was 
very hard to have a computer that was 
sufficiently flexible to be appropriated 
by the individual. So we only saw inter¬ 
esting phenomena where we especially 
set up situations where children had 
access to very expensive, very special 
purpose equipment. 

We’re now seeing all those things 
happening on quite a large scale because 
there are many thousands of computers 
out now where children can do all that 
stuff. We’re also seeing phenomena that 
we never saw when it was more of an 
individual relationship between the child 
and the computer. 

A + : Can you give an example of that? 
Papert: I think the Lamplighter school 
experience for me was an eye-opener 
because the amount of computing that 
happened there got so far beyond what 
the adults could keep track of. That it 
really was a child takeover. So many dif¬ 
ferent children had access to computers 
and there were enough computers so the 
usual people who capture them didn’t 
exclude anyone else. 

A + : What is the ratio of children to com¬ 
puters there? 

146 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


Papert: There are 50 or 60 computers 
and some 300 children; 5 or 6 children to 
a computer. But it’s not just the ratio. 
The school is fairly open, children can 
come in before school and stay after 
school, and they’re not watched. They 
can get the computers without any adults 
around. I’ve come to learn that’s very 
important. Children will do different 
things when there is no adult around. 
A + : What kinds of things? 

Papert: Well you see, for example, take 
that hard and soft style of programming. 
There’s no question that adults systemat¬ 
ically favor the hard and the children 
know it. This is partly because the adults 
who do become involved with the com¬ 
puters tend to be hard, because the com¬ 
puter culture is hard, and partly because 
they have to be an official model of what 
it is to program. 

And so I think that the children, being 
aware of this when there’s an adult 

^ The major question is 
protecting the 
children from the 
frustrating and 
psychologically 
damaging effects of 
society’s clumsy 
attempts to force 
unnatural modes of 
learning and 
teaching on them. 

who’s likely to see what they’re doing— 
even if the adult is careful not to give 
signals, and that’s fairly impossible—if 
the child feels that that adult prefers cer¬ 
tain directions, that changes the child’s 
approach. 

A + : How do you feel about video 
games, computer games, and children? 
Papert: You mean games like Space 
Invaders? 

A + : Yes. 

Papert: I think we hardly understand the 
deep psychology of what makes games 
so exciting and what they’re doing. It’s 
clear that some very powerful things are 
at work and we don’t know how to chan¬ 
nel that, we don’t know what conditions 
make it go one way or the other way. 

I think it dramatizes the situation I 
touched on a few times in this conversa¬ 
tion and in Mindstorms : That people are 
always concerned with trying to predict 
the computer future and the point isn’t to 
predict it, it’s to make it. It could be 


made in very different forms and how it 
gets made depends on the social process, 
the political process, how much energy 
and scientific research there is and whidi 
talented people become involved. 

One could imagine a world in which 
children grow up hypnotized by highly 
interactive, highly structured kinds <>l 
game situations and we have a whole 
generation of psychotics on our hands 
That’s possible. Very possible. There’s 
as much of a danger that the power ol 
this thing gets out of hand as the dangci 
that there’s been more talk about, thill 
genetic engineering gets out of hand, 
somebody makes a horrible new disease 
that ravages the world. I think that psy 
chological diseases could also ravage tin 
world. 

On the other hand, one can also sec 
enough continuity between these games 
and intellectual development so that n 
could go in that direction too. One could 
imagine all children being involved in 
kinds of game activities that will lead to 
enormous intellectual development. 

If we look at children and the preseat 
games you see elements of both tenden 
cies. You see, unquestionably, intellec¬ 
tual development, learning things. Take 
a little example. It used to be a little- 
tricky when we did turtle geometry to 
explain to children when the turtle went 
off the screen how it came back again on 
the other side. That’s a complicated little 
piece of topology you don’t have to 
explain today anymore. Everybody 
knows. It’s a piece of geometry that 
they’ve picked up from the games 
That’s a very simple example, but then 
are a lot of examples of this sort, exam 
pies of geometric and strategic know I 
edge. 

I think there’s also knowledge about 
the learning process, which fascinates 
me. I think that a lot of children seem to 
have become very aware of ‘strategies 
for learning strategies’ because whenev¬ 
er a new game comes out they have got 
to learn the new game very fast. We 
haven’t often had a situation where 
there’s been as much incentive, as much 
opportunity for quick learning of new 
things. Children have always known 
how to learn. That’s their business. This 
gives them extra opportunity to learn 
new strategies. So there’s that positive 
side. 

On the other hand you could make a 
list of negative things, kids who get hyp¬ 
notized by it, almost addicted. . . . and 
there are all sorts of things that we don’t 
know about, like as much as you might 
be afraid of overanalytic thinking in hav¬ 
ing children program too much, with the 














































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CIRCLE 133 ON READER SERVICE CARD 










































games there’s a kind of emphasis on a 
pre-analytic thinking, immediate re¬ 
sponse, immediate gratification. I mean, 
you have it right now. Looking at them 
you can see they’re going in all sorts of 
directions. 

If you look at the amount of attention 
and resources being devoted by humani¬ 
ty to really try to understand these things 
it’s scandalous, it’s nothing. Just drops 
in an enormous ocean. 

A + : Do you play games? 

Papert: I had a summer house in Maine 
(two years ago) and I often used to drive 
up from Boston, often very late at night, 
which was very tiring. Exactly halfway 
there’s a Howard Johnson’s with a lot of 
computer games. I always stopped there 


I think one can 
predict that in the 
next decade there’s 
going to be a 
tremendous 
flourishing of 
intellectual 
development. 


and played Asteroids. My score at Aster¬ 
oids tells me more about if I’m in a fit 
state to be driving and at what speed I 
should let myself drive than my intuitive 
feelings. If my score is disastrously low, 
if I can’t play Asteroids to my usual stan¬ 
dards, I shouldn’t be driving a car 
because my reaction times have slowed 
down. 

A + : Getting back to computer lan¬ 
guages, some computer scientists feel 
that the programming language of the 
future may be no language at all, that is, 
instead of being programmed, the com¬ 
puter will use an artificial intelligence 
routine that will respond to simple 
instructions from the person using the 
computer. What’s the implication of 
that? 

Papert: Indeed it might be that all the 
thinking we’re doing now about how 
using the computer might be good for 
people’s intellectual development would 
be out the window. In fact, intellectual 
development itself might be out of the 
window. This is really the scary thing 
around the corner. If you think about 
artificial intelligence seriously you 
should think in terms of what it might be 
like in a hard core vision, which is (the 
idea that) machines will do everything 
better than people. So then you might 


say what’s the point of intellectual devi l 
opment under those conditions? 

A + : But wouldn’t you still have sonic 
sort of programmer “elite” who wrilr. 
the artificial intelligence routines? 
Papert: If you really believe the hard 
core vision of AI then the machines will 
do that too. I don’t know how you staii 
thinking about what you should do aboui 
that. Clearly the Joe Weizenbaum ap 
proach is absurd. (Interviewer's note 
Joseph Weizenbaum is an MIT compute / 
scientist who has criticized the artificial 
intelligence movement for being anti 
humanistic.) By the Joe Weizenbaum 
approach I mean Joe Weizenbaum real 
izes one day what this hard core vision is 
saying and he’s driven by this to say 
“No, that’s terrible. Let’s tell everybody 
how terrible it is and stop it.” Well, I 
don’t think it’s had any effect on stop¬ 
ping it. I don’t think that predicting how 
many dangers there are going to be is an 
effective way of stopping it. I don’t even 
think that we want to stop it. . .or that / 
want to stop it. 

A + : You’ve written and spoken exten 
sively about how computers can change 
the way people think. Would you give 
some examples of that? 

Papert: This in the context of putting in 
question the established assumptions 


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preparation of high-quality user-friendly 
materials. 

EnBASIC adds to Applesoft* BASIC. All 
features of BASIC are still present. 

A flexible display design allows for: 

■ Proportional spacing, superscripts, 
subscripts, underlining, and automati¬ 
cally backspaced diacritic marks in text 

■ Double or standard size characters dis¬ 
played anywhere on the High Res 
screen 

■ Lower-case characters on the Apple II 
plus* 

Advanced input handling affords you: 

■ State-of-the-art answer-judging 

■ Automatic indication of spelling and 
typing errors 

Character-by-character error feedback 
for missing, extra, or wrong letters, 
inverted letter order, errors in accent¬ 
ing, capitalization, sub- or superscript¬ 
ing 

Synonym lists allowed as part of 
expected responses 


USER-FRIENDLY INPUT 


Alternate Fonts 

flnsuer Editing 

Forced Keys 

Judging Keys 

Nunber-of-Tries Counter 

Superscripts and Subscripts 

lining 

Upper- and Lower-Case 


You get all these features simply by speci¬ 
fying a correct response and including an 
EnBASIC command that implements 
spelling checks with feedback. 

The Package 

A 94-page manual containing a tutorial on 
use of EnBASIC with examples, imple¬ 
mentation hints, and technical details 
(available separately for $20.00 which 
may be applied to the full purchase price 
of $150£0)_ 

COMPress, Department H, 

RO. Box 102, Wentworth, NH 02282 
(603) 764-5831/5225 

Yes! Send me_copy(ies) of EnBASIC 

package at $150.00 each. 

□ Check or Money Order enclosed. 

□ Charge me 

_ Visa _ Mastercard _ AmEx 
Card #_ 


r ANSWER 

JUDGING * 

sadimu 

ch1rides 

= Oj 

t X 

/ / 

\ ^ 

urong / 

\ extra 

letter / 

\ letter 

inverted 

nissing 

order 

letter 

^ STRTE-OF-THE-l 

RRT ANSWER JUDGING ^ 


A pocket guide to EnBASIC commands 
A master and back up diskettes contain 
ing: the EnBASIC augmentation program 
six ready-made character sets (four sizen 
of English letters plus Cyrillic and Greek) 
together with editors which allow you to 
design your own character sets and redo 
fine key set functions. 

A sample program diskette 

♦Registered trademark of the Apple Computer Company 
™ A trademark of Computing Teaching Corporation 

EnBASIC Package^.^$1501 

Ship to: 


Expires. 


Signature 

□ Request for catalog. 


L 


1484 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


CIRCLE 194 ON READER SERVICE CARD 






















































L ... . ••• : 

;jl— i 




Moscone Center 
San Francisco 
Friday-Sunday 
October 28-30.1983 


INTRODUCING THE INFAX 101A 

The Infax 101A disk drive subsystem has been 
designed specifically for Apple* owners 
interested in added storage. Floppy disks are a 

thing of the past. 
The Infax 101A features a removable 10 
megabyte data cartridge. Your Apple* can have 
almost infinite storage capacity with the new 

Infax 101 A. 

Look at the features the Infax 101A offers: 


★ Microprocessor-based error correction. 

★ User transparent error detection and 
correction. 

★ Automatic start-up diagnostics, idle drive 
shutdown, error recovery procedures. 

★ Host adapter/controller and software 
supports up to 4 drives simultaneously. 

3 

★ Cartridge write protect switch. 


★ Highest performance, reliability of any 
removable disk drive. 

★ Lowest cost 10 megabyte (formatted) data 
cartridge. 

★ More resistant to shock and vibration than 
any other fixed or removable disk drive. 

★ Fastest start/stop (cartridge replacement) 
time of any high performance disk drive. 

★ Non-contact head to disk interface. 


tie Infax 101A comes with disk drive, data cartridge, power supply, cables and personal computer adapter. Software included supports Apple’ DOS 3.3, 
iscal and CP/M.” Also included are support software for quick copying, backup and file management. Slot independent. Supports auto-boot capability. 

Infax is a registered trademark of D 2 Products 'Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc ' *CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc. 


For additional information and the name of the dealer nearest you call (800) 241-1119 - in Georgia 
call (404) 981-6778. Or write: VUFAX, INC., 5301 Covington Highway, Decatur, Georgia 30035 


CIRCLE 135 ON READER SERVICE CARD 















































































about the order in which children learn 
and acquire knowledge and behavior— 
particularly, I think, Piaget’s very 
insightful classification of what he calls 
concrete operations versus formal opera¬ 
tions. 

A + : What would be an example of con¬ 
crete knowledge? 

Papert: There is a certain slice of arith¬ 
metic knowledge. For example, know¬ 
ing that if I’ve got a bunch of objects, 
that changing their arrangement doesn’t 
change their number. This is what Piaget 
calls conservation of number. It’s a fun¬ 
damental piece of understanding without 
which you couldn’t get very far using 
numbers. We see from Piaget’s work 
that children are not taught this and 
they’re not bom knowing it, either. But 
they come to understand it spontaneous¬ 
ly at about the age of five or six in the 
normal course of development. 

A + : And formal knowledge? 

Papert: A typical kind of formal knowl¬ 
edge is systematically manipulating the 
permutations and combinations of the 
(number) set, but this doesn’t happen 
often until the age of 10 or 12. 

Now the question is: Is this central to 
or accidentally dependent on cultural 
things? My thesis, which we’re seeing 
already in this case, is that when you’re 


used to using procedural programming, 
the systematic manipulation of combina¬ 
tions of things becomes quite as concrete 
as lining up objects. So something that 
could only be handled abstractly before 
can now be handled very concretely and 
can be acquired by children at a very ear¬ 
ly age. 

So our concept of what gets learned 
when is totally reshuffled. We’re seeing 
children of five or six beginning to leam 
things spontaneously that children 
wouldn’t discover in their own develop¬ 
ment until twice that age, without the 
computer. 

A + : What’s the implication of this? 
Papert: I think the implication is that 
one thing leads to another: The roots into 
adult knowledge available to children 
are now totally different so that our 
whole concept of who should leam what, 
when has to be thoroughly revised. Now 
that’s, I suppose, the practical implica¬ 
tion. 

The implication for theoretical psy¬ 
chology is another story. There are 
extremely subtle and deep questions 
raised about whether we need a different 
kind of theory now for intellectual devel¬ 
opment. 

Which relates to all these other ques¬ 
tions about the effect of games, what 


kind of language is good for children, il 
there’s early imprinting what is il 
effect, are there really aptitudes. During 
this conversation there have been many 
obviously important questions about I lu* 
psychology of thinking and learning and 
intellectual development that we’ve nui 
been able to answer in the past. In orclci 
to answer them it’s not enough to pm 

^We’re seeing children 
of five or six learning 
things spontaneously 
they wouldn’t 
discover on their 
own, without 
computers, until twice 
that age. 

computers out in the world, we also need 
theoretical constructs. So I think one can 
predict that in the next decade there’s 
going to be a tremendous flourishing ol 
intellectual development. There will be 
new ways of thinking, new kinds of the 
oretical analysis in anthropology and 
logic and the relationship of people to 
knowledge and to culture. Hh 



REG. »250.C 

$ 188 0< 

UPDATE? $ PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT 
' $ TECHNICAL ANALYSIS 
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• Tracks Stocks, Options, Bonds, Mutual Funds, Money Market Funds 

• Compatible with Compu Trac, Micro Log, CSI, Visicalc 

• Modem Portfolio Updates with Dow Jones, CompuServe, The Source 

• Fast DOS • Auto-Run Feature for the Multi-Portfolio User M 

• Prints Profit Loss Statements • Relative Performance 

• Schedule D Tax Data • Price Trend Analysis 

• Buy Sell Signals • Modem Data Capture 

• Maximized After-Tax Rate of Return • Hi-Res Plots 

• User-Modifiable Routines • Visicalc “ Interface 

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ALL TRADEMARKS ACKNOWLEDGED COMPATIBLE WITH APPLEII-. APPLE lie, AND APPLE III IN EMULATION MODE 


_ 


zzz 

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DEALER 

INQUIRIES 

INVITED 


R.I.S.T. Inc. ANNOUNCE 

SPEECH 

SYNTHESIZER 

SALE 



*ACT NOW: Receive 

Exclusive Phrase Finder Program "$5. VALUE FREE” 
Speech Synthesis Instruction Manual ”$10. VALUE FREE” 
ORDER NOW 


hear the power... 



HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR COMPUTER TALK. 

The PARROT newlv introduced by R.I.S.T., gives the 
power of speech to APPLE II, II-*- Computers. This simple 
to use plug-in speech module is capable of generating all the 
sounds in the English language. The combination of these 
sounds, in the order of your choice, will generate an 
unlimited vocabulary of words, phrases, and sentences as 
well as an array of sound effects. 

Paul Donnelly had this to say tn the April issue of Syntax: 

"Documentation is professional..." 

"Overall, R.I.S.T.'s Parrot is an excellent unit and per¬ 
forms up to and behond my expectations." 


SALE 

Send To: R.I.S.T. Inc. 
Dept. 4 214 (Fomerly 
Voicetech) 

P.O. Box 499, Ft 
Hamilton Station 

Brooklyn, N.Y. 
11200 - (212) 259-4934 

Please send me #_ 

Parrot(s) Speech Syn¬ 
thesizers for my 111 
Apple II □ II plus, □ 
at $59.95 ea. plus 
$4.00 sh/hd. 

I will also receive an exclu¬ 
sive phrase finder pro¬ 
gram and a 40 page in¬ 
struction manual, FREE. 

15 DAY MONEY BACK 
GUARANTEE/C.O.D. 
ORDERS ADD $1.75 
PAY BY BANK CHECK 
OR MONEY ORDER 
N.Y.S. RESIDENTS 
I ADD 8*4% TAX. 


CIRCLE 152 ON READER SERVICE CARD CIRCLE 200 ON READER SERVICE CARD 

1504 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 




























































































































Look, Ma, no hands! 





If you don’t type, you’ve prob¬ 
ably longed for the day when 
you could simply talk to your 
computer. It’s here. 

Your voice can set you free. 
With the Voice Input Module 
from VMC, you can “train” your 
Apple II, He,® or Franklin® to per¬ 
form as many as 80 different 
spoken commands, in unlim¬ 
ited subsets, with near-perfect 
recognition. 


So where you used to type 
“/P return — ” A CO return N39 
return” you can just say “print.” 
Command performance. 

The Voice Input Module works 
parallel to the keyboard with all 
existing applications software. 
So you can type if you need to, 
or do anything from electronic 
spread sheets to word pro¬ 
cessing to games with voice 
control alone. Either way, you’ll 


increase your productivity and 
have fun doing it. 

Demand a demonstration. 

You won’t believe it until you 
see it. So see the Voice Input 
Module at your nearby com¬ 
puter store today. 

And find out how little you’ll 
miss typing. 

Apple II and lie are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, 
Inc. ■ Franklin is a registered trademark of Franklin 
Computer, Inc. 


\#m/i 


YOUR VOICE CAN SET YOU FREE. 

VOICE MACHINE COMMUNICATIONS 



1000 South Grand Avenue ■ Santa Ana, California 92705 ■ Telephone (714) 541-0454 for the dealer nearest you. 


CIRCLE 138 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


























Announcing 


I 


I 

I 

I I 


! 





Plug arcade excitement 
into your Apple computer 

Super Sprite is an amazing peripheral card that plugs easily 
into the Apple’s expansion slot It magically transforms your Apple 
into an exciting entertainment center for colorful and dramatic 
animation, realistic sound effects and actual speech. 

Sprites Galore 

Only Super Sprite has multi-plane graphics for life-like 3-D 
animation. Watch your screen come alive with animated characters 
(sprites) that flit and fly, intersect and interact, and never get in the 
way of each other. And sprite action can join standard Apple 
graphics on the screen at the same time. 

Software Support 

Every Super Sprite package includes the Ampersprite™ 
software language that lets you devise sprites in seconds from the 
keyboard. Plus sound effects and speech! Or, simpler yet, you can buy a 
commercial game that's already written around the Super Sprite. 

Your computer store should have Super Sprite in stock. If 
not, ask him to order one for you. Suggested retail is only $395. 



Synetix Inc. 


15050 N.E. 95th. Redmond, WA 98052. (206) 881-7110 


1-800-426-7412 


,M Super Sprite is a registered trademark of Synetix Systems, Inc., 1983. 


Super Sprite package includes 
operator's manual, 

Ampersprite programming utility 
and demo diskettes. 


,M Ampersprite is a registered trademark of Avant-Garde Creations, Inc. ‘Apple is a registered trademark of APPLE COMPUTER, INC. 


CIRCLE 139 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Vo* 














































'here is no question that the new SUPERSPRITE BOARD from Synetix is 
* nothing of a miracle 

•uddenly, the Apple's graphics capabilities have been pulled from 
1 ‘diocrity and launched into the forefront of today’s state-of-the-art 
Mphics explosion SPRITE GRAPHICS. 16 HI-RES COLORS. 35 VIDEO 
I ANES APPLE & SPRITE GRAPHICS TOGETHER. EXTENDED SOUND 
1 ECTS. VOICE AND MUCH MORE NEVER POSSIBLE ON THE 
i'PLE BEFORE NOW 

jually amazing are the three special software packages created espec- 
ior this board by Don Fudge, aptly titled THE STARSPRITE SYSTEM 
hoard, without STARSPRITE, would be much like the Apple without any 
^ramming language -- STARSPRITE is the key 

M\ the end of the first sitting with the STARSPRITE SYSTEM, you’ll not 
he able to perform functions once reserved only for seasoned program- 
"'l, you’ll also be able to create graphics and animation that, until now. 
•rft even thought possible on the Apple 

ARSPRITE I is included at no extra charge with the SuperSprite board 
software and extensive manual teaches you how to take command of 


the board's graphics, sound, music and voice capabilities and includes three 
exciting, alterable arcade games 

STARSPRITE II is designed for intermediate programming and contains 
utilities and tutorials for animation, sound effects, music, scene creation and 
much more. 

STARSPRITE III is a professional 

programmer’s dream-come-true. pro- , " - ,, , , 

viding the entire system s source -^[LGAroe 
codes, machine language routines. M 

pokes, buffers, collision paths, 

Ampersprite™ information, etc. 

The STARSPRITE SYSTEM is unlike 
anything yet created for the Apple 
For more information dial (503) 

345-5202 for a special two-minute 
recording Our order number is (503) ^m 

345-3043. Call us now to experience ^ 

the future w 


SPRITEWARE™ FROM AVANT-GARDE 


(503) 345-3043 


P.O. Box 30160 EUGENE OREGON 97403 

CIRCLE 140 ON READER SERVICE CARD 












► CLUB NEWS/BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN 



Whether you are a "green" Apple user or an experienced 
programmer, your local user group can provide valuable advice on computer 

operations and new applications. 


Dusk settles over a small city in northern 
California. At a local junior high school, 
members of the town’s S.P.C.A. are 
arriving for their regular monthly meet¬ 
ing. Friendly chatter subsides as the 
meeting begins. The picnic chairman 
brings the crowd up to date on plans for 
the annual cookout. The treasurer says 
income is up. Another member stands to 
give an announcement of the 
“D.O.M.” 

D.O.M.? It doesn’t stand for “Dog of 
the Month,” as one might suspect, and 
154 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


this S.P.C.A. isn’t the well-known ani¬ 
mal rights group that its name suggests. 
This is a meeting of the Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Apples, a com¬ 
puter user group. And its D.O.M.— 
Disk of the Month—is a floppy disk 
containing a variety of software pro¬ 
grams made available to members at a 
low cost. 

Apple user groups similar to this one 
are springing up all over the country. 
Organized by computer owners to dis¬ 
cuss how to operate, modify, and 


upgrade their computers, the groups 
attract everyone from “green” Apple 
users to experienced programmers and 
engineers. 

Wherever they meet—a member’s 
living room, a local computer store, or a 
public auditorium—their purpose is to 
stimulate the education and enjoyment 
of their members. 

Most groups run entirely on volunteer 
energy. In return for yearly dues ranging 
from $5 to $30, members have access to 
software libraries and receive newslet- 












































































ters containing club news, programming 
tips, and product announcements. 
Monthly public meetings usually feature 
guest speakers. 

Apple user groups are growing rapid¬ 
ly to accommodate the increasing num¬ 
ber of computer owners. In the Midwest, 
a group that began with a gathering of 20 
people in a Chicago-area founder’s den 
in 1978 has mushroomed to 800 mem¬ 
bers. In New England, more than 2,000 
members of the Boston Computer Soci¬ 
ety (BCS) have indicated an interest in 
one of the group’s many offshoots, the 
Boston Apple User Group. 

The World’s Apple Core 

The Santa Clara, CA-based Interna¬ 
tional Apple Core (IAC), is an umbrella 
group for more than 450 user groups 
around the world, counting 75,000 
Apple computer buffs among its far- 
flung affiliates. Apple computer owners 
are gathering to exchange tips on com¬ 
puter operation in Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 
Osaka, Japan; and Dublin, Ireland. 

User groups are groups of people 
“who have pooled their ignorance for 
the purpose of gaining intelligence,” 
quips David M. Alpert, president of the 
IAC. Alpert, who donates his time to the 
IAC, said he joined his first group as a 
“dumb member,” but now describes 
himself as a “commodity trader turned 
software vendor.” 

User groups have been successful 
because, according to members, they 
bring together a wide assortment of 
knowledge, experience, and resources 
that then become available to all mem¬ 
bers. 

‘ 4 People join user groups for the same 
reason people join antique auto clubs or 
model railroad clubs,” Alpert said. 
“Computer owners can learn a lot from 
the manual or their dealer, but it’s also 
nice to work with people who share the 
same interests.” 

Ken Silverman, executive director of 
the IAC and one of the group’s nine paid 
staff members, oversees the day-to-day 
operations of the organization. For Sil¬ 
verman, the IAC’s goal is simply stated: 
“We are here to support the machine we 
love.” 

In this case, “support” refers to the 
variety of services offered to member 
groups. Silverman estimated that last 
year the IAC delivered $482 worth of 
educational materials to each club, a siz¬ 
able return on each group’s $50 member¬ 
ship fee. 

The IAC serves as a consultant to 
fledgling groups, giving advice on how 
to create a successful user group. It 
keeps sample constitutions on file, 
156 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


guides members through the legal 
requirements needed to gain nonprofit 
status, and suggests fund-raising ideas to 
struggling clubs. 

In its software library, the IAC houses 
more than 1,000 disks containing public 
domain programs, software made avail¬ 
able to the general public for copying 
without charge. Each month the IAC 
puts together a “Disk of the Month,” 
which it distributes free to member 
groups. The disks usually contain a vari¬ 
ety of programs, from games to business 
and educational programs and utilities. 
The IAC also makes the disks available 
to the public for an $8 cover charge. 

Silverman stresses that the nonprofit 
IAC doesn’t intend to compete with 
computer stores, however. “We don’t 
want to sell products,” he said. It’s pri¬ 
marily a resource center, dedicated to 
filling the needs of computer owners. 

“Computer stores are not educational 
centers,” Silverman said. “They don’t 
have the time or the staff to teach buyers 
how to learn to use their computers. But 
owners have to learn somewhere.” The 

^ Although the 

membership rolls are 
predominantly male, 
the number of 
women members is 
growing. 

responsibility to educate computer own¬ 
ers shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of 
computer companies, either, Silverman 
remarked. “Car dealers don’t teach peo¬ 
ple how to drive when they sell a car, 
although they will repair them if some¬ 
thing goes wrong. The same is true with 
Apple Computer.” 

What is the IAC’s relationship with 
the company? “Strictly at arm’s 
length,” Silverman stated. The IAC 
accepts Apple’s help when it is offered, 
but it has also criticized company poli¬ 
cies that hurt users, such as the firm’s 
decision to stop mail-order sales. 

The IAC also publishes a monthly 
magazine for Apple computer users, 
called Apple Orchard , featuring re¬ 
views, programs, product announce¬ 
ments, and club notes. 

A Diverse Membership 

User groups are a relatively new phe¬ 
nomenon, dating from the mid-1970s, 
when microcomputers first became com¬ 
mercially available. According to IAC’s 
Alpert, early user groups were citadels 
of “hobbyists, tinkerers, and the like” 


who wanted to find out how the compm 
er worked. 

But the typical computer owner In 
changed since those days. “Five ycai 
ago, about 75 percent of the microcom 
puters sold were bought by hobbyists, 
he said. “Today, more than 80 percnn 
are purchased by business people nn«l 
educators.” 

User group members are now so 
diverse that many have organized spccul 
interest groups, or “sigs”, which allow 
members of the group to focus on moil 
narrowly defined interest areas or pursul 
specialized applications. 

A member of the San Francisco Appli 
Core, for instance, can participate in 14 
subgroup whose focus might be telecom 
munications, operating systems, pm 
gramming, or machine languages. Like 
many groups, it also has incorporated u 
beginner’s group, known as the Green 
Apples. 

In fact, as user groups continue lo 
grow, they must meet the challenge ol 
welcoming new members, according l«» 
Jonathan Rotenberg, president of the 
Boston Computer Society. 

The BCS, for instance, schedule-, 
time for beginners before each general 
meeting. It also takes steps to combat 
excessive use of technical jargon that 
could leave novices bewildered, Roten 
berg said. The organization gives a 
handout to guest speakers on how to 
address the group, cautioning against too 
much computer lingo. 

“We try to cut through the garbage 
people have to put up with in compuln 
stores and manuals,” Rotenberg said. 

User groups try to fight the mystiqm 
that surrounds personal computers and 
try to make them technically accessiblr 
to the average person. User groups catn 
to people who “don’t want to become 
computer nerds” in order to enjoy then 
machines, he said. 

But many groups still rely on these 
hard-core hobbyists, people who know 
their computers inside and out, to help 
solve members’ technical problems 
Sometimes these computer “gurus” an 
still in high school; often they work in 
the computer industry itself. Most im 
portant, however, is their eagerness lo 
share their expertise with novices. 

Since a typical meeting brings togclli 
er new users as well as experienced ones 
the groups try to strike a balanenl 
approach. “We target groups at a certain 
level,” Rotenberg explained, “but if 
not the absolute beginner’s level.” 

Smaller user groups also focus on 
ways to weave new members into tin 
fabric of the group. TheS.P.C.A. in In 














WITH 

EVERYTMNG. 



Your best buy in modem history. The 
Networker™ a plug-in single-slot di¬ 
rect connect modem for your Apple II, 

II + , and lie (or Franklin, Albert, or 
other Apple compatible computer). 

You are immediately linked to the 
vast network of computers — data 
bases like the Source® Compu¬ 
Serve® or Dow Jones® friends, banks 
businesses, and hundreds of local ‘ ‘bulletin 
boards." For only $129. There’s absolutely 
nothing else to buy. And it even comes with 
software. 


This is the modem that does it all, and does 
it for less. The Apple Communications Card is on 
board, so you won’t need to buy one. That will 
save a bunch. It’s 300 baud, the most commonly 
used type of modem. It comes complete with its 
own communications software on Apple compati¬ 
ble disk, giving you features no modem offers. 

Like ‘‘data capture’’ to lock the messages 
into your Apples’ RAM, and then move the infor¬ 
mation onto a disk for easy reference and review. 
A terminal program that turns your computer into 
a communications command center, displaying 
on-screen ‘‘help’’ menus, continuous updates of 
memory usage, carrier presence, baud rate, 
communications status, all while taking in and 
displaying information from any computer. 

The Networker supports both originate and 
answer modes, so you can send and receive in- 
lormation, in full or half duplex modes. And its 
all easily programmable right from the keyboard 
of your Apple computer. All you do is plug Net- 
worker into any slot (except 0) in your Apple 
computer. It’ll even ask you what slot it’s in. 
It’s that easy to use. 


NETMASTER™ COMMUNICATIONS 
SOFTWARE_ 

For $179 we include the even more incredible 
Netmaster software for advanced users. Net- 
master is a ‘‘communications freeway" that 
lets you speed any Apple file to another Apple 
through noisy phone lines, without errors. Net- 
master even includes its own Disk Operating 
System to control the flow of information and 
leave you over 40K of "buffer" memory from 
your 64K RAM. And there’s always help when 
you want it. On screen. Status indicators keep 
you fully updated. 

Netmaster will let you transfer games, 
computer graphics, programs, sales reports, 
documents, any DOS 3.3 file, all directly from 
disk to disk, all with computer (not telephone) 
accuracy. Netmaster is completely configurable 
to understand any computer, even mainframes. 
File size is unlimited. 

But Netmaster is not stuffy. It will talk to 
the other communications packages like Visi- 
term® or ASCII Express® Of course they don’t 
support Netmaster’s superb error checking, 
that guarantees you won’t miss even a comma. 
It doesn’t only talk to the Networker either. It 
will also talk to those more expensive modems 
from Hayes and Novation. 


And Netmaster is fast. It trans¬ 
fers information disk to disk three to 
five times faster than the others. Of 
course Netmaster is fully compatible 
with them. But if you want things to 
happen really fast, talk to another 
Netmaster. 

We sell Netmaster by itself for $79, 
and even if you have another modem for your 
Apple, Netmaster is an outstanding value. It will 
even support auto dial and auto answer. Net- 
master requires 48K of Apple memory, disk 
drive and DOS 3.3, and ZOOM’S Networker 
modem or another modem. It can also be used 
without a modem when two Apples are hard¬ 
wired together, using a 6850 or 6551-based in¬ 
terface card. 


Networker, Netmaster, and Networker/ 
Netmaster combo are all produced in the USA 
by ZOOM Telephonies, producers of the popular 
DEMON DIALER. The Networker is FCC regis¬ 
tered, and all products come with a one-year 
warranty. 


HOW DO I GET ONE? OR TWO? 

Check with your computer dealer. Or call us 
direct at 1 -800-631-3116, and we’ll let 
you know where to get them in your area. 

Massachusetts residents call 617-423-1288. 


The following are trademarks: Apple by Apple Computer, the Source 
servicemark by Source Telecomputing, CompuServe by CompuServe, 
Dow Jones by Dow Jones & Company, Visiterm by Visicorp, ASCII Ex¬ 
press by Southwestern Data Systems. DEMON DIALER by ZOOM 
Telephonies. ©1983 ZOOM Telephonies, Inc. 



ZOOM Telephonies, Inc. 

207 South Street, Boston, MA 02111 


CIRCLE 195 ON READER SERVICE CARD 
































mont, California, for instance, appoint¬ 
ed one of its members to be a “begin¬ 
ner’s ombudsperson.” 

A typical user group meeting includes 
guest speakers and time for members and 
guests to ask questions. Discussions can 
cover a variety of issues, from where to 
get the best price on printer paper, to 
how to get the Apple to “talk’ ’ to a print¬ 
er, to critiques on the latest develop¬ 
ments in hardware and software. 

These question-and-answer sessions 
are the heart of user groups and provide a 
public forum for members to ask ques¬ 
tions and make contacts. A common 
refrain during these sessions is: “See me 
after the meeting. ’ ’ Following the gener¬ 
al meeting, members mill around to 
exchange information in what many 
groups refer to as “random access” ses¬ 
sions. 

The meetings often include demon¬ 
strations of new products. At a recent 
meeting of Apple P.I.E. (Programming 
and Interfacing Enthusiasts), a standing- 
room-only crowd filled the Saratoga, 
California community center library for 
a demonstration of Apple Computer’s 
Lisa. Viewing a large screen in the cen¬ 
ter of the room, members watched with 
great interest as John Fenwick, the club 
vice-president demonstrated the sys- 


luuiii, lucmucis wcuuiitu wiiii aiiu piuicaaiuiiai 

Test as John Fenwick, the club into user groups f 
ident demonstrated the sys- According to Snei 

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tern’s office application programs, bit¬ 
mapped graphics, and mouse, a pointing 
and drawing device. 

User Sisters and Swashbucklers 

Although the membership rolls are 
predominantly male at present, the num¬ 
ber of women members is growing. 
Three years ago, Carol O’Connell joined 
Apple P.I.E. because she wanted to find 
out how a computer could help her train 
her autistic child. “I’ve taken BASIC 
now and turned into a hardware freak,” 
she admitted with a smile. 

O’Connel, now a student at San Jose 
State University, says women teachers 
and computer-related business operators 
are now attending Apple P.I.E. meet¬ 
ings. 

Other user groups have noticed 
increased interest from women. In the 
beginning, women members were al¬ 
most exclusively engineers or program¬ 
mers. “In the spring of 1980 when the 
Boston Apple User Group was formed, it 
was almost a rarity to have a woman 
involved in the group,” said Allen 
Sneider, director. But as personal com¬ 
puters moved into classrooms and 
offices, students, teachers, secretaries, 
and professional women began tapping 
into user groups for advice and support. 
According to Sneider, women now make 


up about 25 percent of the Bostmi 
group. 

As mentioned earlier, most Appl» 
user groups offer members access !»> i 
library of public domain software. Man 
of these programs are contributed l>\ 
members. One group holds a yearly soli 
ware programming contest solicit im 
new library entries. 

But software copying can prescm 
problems for many groups. In som* 
cases, members have been accused ol 
being software “pirates,” who meet 
only to copy commerical software. Most 
groups take a public stand against pii.i 
cy, however, and actively campaign 
against the practice. As a preventivr 
measure, the librarians of many group 
review the library and throw out any 
copyrighted software they find. “We 
don’t condone piracy, we condemn it,’ 
said IAC‘s Alpert. “For one thing, the 
only computer allowed in the meeting 
room is the one to be used for that meet 
ing’s demonstration ... If there is pira 
cy, it is not going on with the knowledge 
or consent of the group’s officers,” hr 
continued. “Almost every user group 
takes an editorial and political stand 
against piracy.” 

Origins 

User groups trace their history from n 


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rainy night in 1975, when the Homebrew 
Computer Club conducted its first meet¬ 
ing in a Menlo Park, California garage. 
A small group of hobbyists and engi¬ 
neers met to discuss the Altair computer, 
a personal computer built from a kit. 

One of the people who crowded into 
that garage was Steve Wozniak, later a 
cofounder of Apple Computer with 
Steve Jobs. “I was there because I 
thought people interested in video termi¬ 
nals would meet,” he said. “I didn’t 
know anything about microprocessors 
then.” 

But he had always wanted a comput¬ 
er, and Homebrew’s biweekly meetings 
led to the development of the first Apple 
computer. “It became a big thing for 
me,” he remembers. “Every 2 weeks I 
had to worry about what I was going to 
show off at the next meeting.” Wozniak 
said he never thought he would eventu¬ 
ally have a job designing computers. He 
feels Homebrew’s meetings provided a 
strong impetus to his computer design 
work. 

Homebrew also attracted Chris Espi¬ 
nosa, now Apple’s publications manag¬ 
er. Espinosa was a 14-year-old high 
school student when he began attending 
Homebrew meetings for fun. “It was not 
that much different than school,” he 


said. “The fact that most of the people 
there were 10 to 40 years older than me 
didn’t matter.” 

Espinosa frequented Byte Shop Com¬ 
puter Stores, the first computer store 
franchise, and for the price of a bus pass 
had managed to get “thousands of hours 
of programming time” writing demon¬ 
stration programs for the busy owners. 

User groups are a 
relatively new 
phenomenon, dating 
from the mid-1970’s, 
when 

microcomputers 
first became 
available. 

Since Espinosa was too young to 
drive, Wozniak drove him to the meet¬ 
ings. He remembers the night Wozniak 
arrived with the prototype Apple II in a 
cigar box. 

During a break at another Homebrew 
meeting, Espinosa met Steve Jobs, who 
offered him a job. Espinosa spent an 
“entire Christmas vacation, from six in 
the morning until eight at night,” putting 


Apples together in Jobs’ garage. 

Espinosa built a computer for his high 
school out of spare parts from the job. 
When it broke down after 5 years, Apple 
offered to exchange it for a new one and 
discovered that Espinosa’s model was 
the earliest existing prototype of the 
Apple II. The company then donated it to 
the Smithsonian Institution in Washing¬ 
ton, D.C. 

User groups have come a long way 
from the Homebrew days. The first 
Applefest—a computer show devoted 
entirely to the hardware and software 
accessories available for the Apple com¬ 
puter—was organized by BSC’s Roten- 
berg and its Apple User Group. New 
Apple products sometimes make their 
first public appearance at user group 
meetings. 

Keeping Pace 

The basic purpose of Apple user 
groups, large or small, hasn’t changed. 
They try to keep pace with rapidly 
changing computer technology and give 
support and encouragement to both nov¬ 
ice and expert computer owners. 

To find the Apple user group in your 
area, check computer stores, look for 
magazine or newspaper announcements 
of meetings, or call the International 
Apple Core, at (408) 727-7652. + 



IN STACKS OF ARTICLES ? 
CONSIDER HIRING A 
LIBRARIAN FOR ONLY 

fe *75 



Quick Search Librarian (QSL) makes it easy to enter and edit 
your journal references, search for articles, and print or sort a 
list of articles using the 48K APPLE* II + computer. Important 
QSL features include: 


• Two keystrokes select any one of 255 keywords or any one 
of 255 journal titles. 

• Four lines available for listing authors, title and/or comments. 

• Powerful data base screen editing, copying and merging 
features. 

• Average search speed is 50 articles/second with multiple cri¬ 
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• Typically, 1000 articles can be stored on a single disk. 

• Includes sample data base and tutorial for Scientific American, 
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VISA or Mastercard orders accepted. QSL manual available sep¬ 
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of QSL software.) Add $1.50 for shipments made in U.S.A. 

• Trademark of Apple Computer. Inc. 



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a 6502 Assembler 


genius to operate 


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LISA v2.6 


You don’t need an I.Q. of 200 to learn assembly language on your Apple II or Apple//e. All you need is the 
best 6502 assembler around: Lazer’s Interactive Symbolic Assembler (LISA v2.6). LISA is the easy-to- 
learn and easy-to-use system that will have even the absolute beginner up and running in a matter of minutes. 
In addition to USA’s clearly written 240-page manual more tutorial materia! is available for-LISA than any 
otherassembler (includingbooksbyD. Fudge, R. Hyde, W. Mauer, andR. Mottola). USA is trie beginner's best 
cnoice. 

Even if your I.Q. is 200, you’ll appreciate USA’s speed, power, and ease of use. At 20,000 lines/minute it’s 
20 to 30 times faster than ORCA/M or Apple’s own Toolkit assembler. That’s why people like Bill Budge, Ken 
Williams, Brian Fitzgerald, Don Fudge,and SteveWozniak use it everyday. USA is very usable. That’s why it’s 
the most often used assembler ever created for the Apple II. 

LISAv2/6 is available for $79.95 at computer stores everywhere. If your local computer store doesn’t have 
a copy you can order directly from: 

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► PROGRAMMING/BY ROBERT COWART 


HOW TO 



In a tutorial series on dBase II, the hottest 


new program for database management 


ven Apple users who 
have not yet delved 
into the world of CP/ 
M are by now proba¬ 
bly aware of the ver¬ 
satile and powerful 
product called dBASE 
II. If you are one of 
the many Apple owners running a Soft- 
card with CP/M, dBASE II is a program 
not to be overlooked. 

With a list price of $700, dBASE II is 
not inexpensive, but its usefulness in a 
wide range of applications could easily 
justify its cost. And if sheer numbers 
hold any meaning, the public seems to 
agree. 

Marketed by Ashton-Tate, dBASE II 
has already sold over 120,000 copies. If 
you consider that there are over 700,000 
CP/M systems in the field and that, as 
with audio and video recordings, copy¬ 
right infringements do occur, then no 
doubt there are a few more than 120,000 
copies in actual use. 

dBASE (as it is often referred to by 


enthusiasts) has attained such popularity 
in the 3 years of its existence that many 
users believe dBASE has established a de 
facto standard for CP/M database man¬ 
agement, joining the ranks with the likes 
of WordStar. The widespread accep¬ 
tance of dBASE II has spawned an enor¬ 
mous following of aftermarket products 
and services, not to mention imitations. 
dBASE II utility programs, books, tuto¬ 
rials, user groups, training classes, con¬ 
sultants, and programmers are springing 
up all over the country, inspiring many 
microcomputer users to purchase a copy 
of dBASE II. Unfortunately, after the ini¬ 
tial excitement of the new purchase 
wears off, the task of learning an exten¬ 
sive new program with scores of unfa¬ 
miliar commands can seem overwhelm¬ 
ing. New dBASE II users typically find 
themselves confused and floundering, 
pondering such points as: “What is a 
database?” “Where should I start?” or 
“What is the most efficient design for 
my database?” 

In order to tackle the details of dBASE 


II with greater ease, consider the follow¬ 
ing concepts first. 

What Is a Database, Anyway? 

Databases are nothing new, but as 
often occurs in the computer world, a 
cryptic pseudonym has replaced the 
common term. Actually, most of us use 
at least one database every day, but we 
just don’t call it by that name. Encyclo¬ 
pedias, dictionaries, phone books, and 
shopping catalogs are examples of com¬ 
mon household databases. These are 
nothing more than lists of information, 
some more detailed (encyclopedias) than 
others (phone books). But what qualifies 
these lists as databases? Isn’t a book or a 
magazine a database, too? No. A data¬ 
base provides a way of finding informa¬ 
tion quickly and easily based on one ref¬ 
erence point. However, an unorganized 
collection of information, like a novel, 
does not. 

Another way to think of a database is 
like this: The most common databases 
are really nothing but a series of ‘ ‘rows” 
and “columns” filled in with informa- 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M63 

































widespread 


acceptance of 


dBASE II has spawned 


an enormous following 


of aftermarket 


products and services, 


not to mention 


imitations. 


tion. But they must be laid out in such a 
way that any specific piece of informa¬ 
tion is easily available. Typically, each 
column is headed by a title describing the 
type of information in it, and each row 
contains the information itself. In data¬ 
base lingo, the columns are called 
“fields” and the rows are called 
“records.” 

For example, consider your check¬ 
book register, another household data¬ 
base. The categories (“check number,” 

log, assuming it includes an alphabetical 
index of its contents. The key in the case 
of the catalog is the item name, which 
leads you to the correct catalog page 
number (see Figure 3). 

In contrast, a magazine or a novel 
may contain lots of information, but it is 
not usually stored in a manner designed 
for instant random access. No novel con¬ 
tains a “plot” or “quotation” index. 
Who would want one? 

The next question is: “So who needs 

Record 

Field check description charges credits balance 

#1 
#2 
#3 

Figure 1: Example of checkbook register fields. 

Record 

Field name address city phone 

Marengo, Lily 8065 Toyler Dale Hill Town 555-1212 

Figure 2: Example of telephone directory fields. 

Record 

Field item subheading page 

Pets aardvark 3 

chuckwallah 25 

ibexe 27 

lemur 483 

platypus 19 

Figure 3: Example of catalog fields. 

a computer? I can make lists like this 
easier and cheaper on paper!” 

A good point. In some cases, it would 
be foolish to use a computer to create and 
maintain a database. Consider the tele¬ 
phone book example. As long as you 
want to look up Lily Marengo’s phone 
number based on her name, you are bet¬ 
ter off with a book rather than a comput- 
er. However, what if you already knew 
Lily’s phone number but had forgotten 
her last name? Or you needed a list of 
everyone whose phone number started 
with “527”? With its inexhaustible 
capacity for drudgery, a computer is the 
perfect tool for this type of work. 

Not only could it allow you to find the 
desired information easily, it would 
allow you to add more people to the 
phone book, and keep it up to date as 
phone numbers and addresses changed. 

Of course, all this could be (and 
sometimes still is) done by hand, but 
human-being hours are better spent in 
creative and intuitive pursuits than in 
memorizing or searching through lists. 

“description,” “charges,” “credits,” 
“balance”) comprise the fields of the 
database. Each check entered is a record 
(see Figure 1). 

Another example: Suppose you want 
to look up the phone number of your 
friend, Lily Marengo, in the telephone 
book? Your reference point (sometimes 
called a “key”) is her name. From this 
one piece of information you should be 
able to find Lily’s phone number, and 
possibly even her address (if it is listed) 
(see Figure 2). 

A telephone book is useful only 
because it allows rapid access to desired 
information. The same is true of a cata- 


164 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 





































Resides, another advantage of computer¬ 
ization is speed. A good computerized 
database system can extract information 
much faster and more cheaply than 
Immans can. 

What Is dBASE II? 

Sophisticated database management 
systems have been available on large 
computers for at least a decade now. But 
until recently, squeezing much capacity 
or flexibility out of a microcomputer has 
proved difficult due to the limitations of 
(he computers and the primitive state of 
microcomputer database software. This 
is precisely where dBASE II comes in. 

dBASE II is a CP/M-based relational 
database management system. With 
dBASE II you can: 

•Create a wide variety of small- to medi¬ 
um-sized databases using English-like 
commands. 

•Update and edit databases using a for¬ 
mat on your screen that lets you see 
exactly what data is being added. You 
just fill in the blanks. 

•Display information in an almost end¬ 
less variety of ways, either on screen or 
on paper. 

•Generate printed reports, mailing la¬ 
bels, form letters, and so on in any visual 
arrangement, with dBASE II automati¬ 
cally doing mathematical calculations 
for you. 

•Do all of the above either manually or 
under program control, using the com¬ 
plete database-oriented programming 
language included with the system. 
Many of these capabilities result from 
l he relational design of dBASE II. Rela¬ 
tional refers to flexibility in database 
design. For instance, say you decided to 
create a telephone directory database. To 
Mart, you want to search for phone num¬ 
bers based only on names. Later, if you 
want to use another key for the search 
(perhaps the company names of people 
listed in the phone book), you can. In 
some other types of databases, all this 
must be prearranged. 

However, although flexible, dBASE 


II is not particularly easy to learn, espe¬ 
cially if you want to take full advantage 
of its capabilities. To complicate matters 
more, dBASEII is actually two programs 
in one: a database filing system and a 
programming language. 

The tasks of creating and gaining 
access to dBASE II databases are rela¬ 
tively simple, and this simplicity, to a 
large degree, accounts for the program’s 
success. Simple English words like cre¬ 
ate, append, list, and edit can be entered 
from the keyboard for immediate results. 
However, mastering the subtler points of 
command syntax and developing auto¬ 
mated programs definitely require more 
time and diligence. The advantages you 
gain from dBASE II are proportional to 
the time you spend learning its quirks. 

The following pages contain the first 
part of a series of tutorials that will walk 
you through the basics as well as some of 
the nuances of dBASE II. The series 
requires an experimental inclination on 
the part of the reader, an Apple running 
CP/M, and dBASE II. Before starting, 
however, look over the following notes 
and suggestions. 

All Apple IIs require 56K RAM, CP/ 
M, and a Z-80 card in order to run 
dBASE II. 

The current version of dBASE II is 
2.4. Operating systems earlier than CP/ 
M 2.0 will not run dBASEII revision 2.4 
properly. If you do not have these revi¬ 
sions, contact the appropriate sources to 
obtain the updated versions before con¬ 
tinuing. Incidentally, the new features in 
version 2.4 are well worth your while. 

Make sure you run the “install” pro¬ 
gram on your dBASE II disk before start¬ 
ing. And when prompted to indicate if 
you want “full-screen” editing, say 
YES. This way, the examples in the tuto¬ 
rial will make sense, and you will be able 
to enter and edit data more easily. 

You may find that a 40-column dis¬ 
play is a bit of a nuisance for data display 
of complex files. If you do have an 
Apple II with a 40-column display, you 



English words 


like create, append, 


list, and edit can be 


entered from the 


keyboard for 


immediate results. 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M65 


































might consider obtaining an 80-column 
upgrade. This accessory is available 
through most Apple dealers. If you do 
have an 80-column display, run the 
install program twice. The first time, 
choose “Apple II40 column.” The sec¬ 
ond time you run the install program, 
select Y for modification of existing 
installation. Indicate D for decimal 
input; then choose parameter 9 (screen 
size). Change the 40 to 80. Leave the 24 
as is by hitting the Return key, and save 
the changes. Now you will be running an 
80-column dBASE II. 

In the following interaction, the 
words in lowercase are the ones you 
type. dBASE II always (except in the 
case of the North Star version) responds 
in uppercase. The <CR> sign after a 
command indicates that you should press 
the Return key. 

Creating Your First Database 

Assuming your system is up and run¬ 
ning, and you have DBASE.COM, 
DBASEOVR.COM, DBASEMSG. 
COM, AND DBASEMSG.TXT and 
some spare room on drive A:, follow 
along. 

Since the telephone book example is 
something everyone can relate to (and 
use), it’s a good place to start. An elec¬ 
tronic phone book is easy to keep up to 
date, and for those with a printer, you 
can produce a hard copy in alphabetical 
order, too. Since the database will 
include addresses, you will be able to 
generate mailing labels and form letters. 
Once you have the A> prompt, type: 

A>dbase <CR> 

When dBASE II asks for the date, you 
can either type it in or just hit Return. In 
either case, your date is: 

•Temporarily stored in a memory vari¬ 
able (more about these in a future install¬ 
ment) in your computer, so that you can 
use it later. 

•Permanently stored on any database 

Imagining 
what it would look 
like on paper 
is the best 
approach. 

you happen to update during this ses¬ 
sion, so that you can find out when the 
last update occurred. 

Just pressing Return fills in the date as 
00/00/00. For purposes of illustration 
later, type in today’s date this time. 
Now you should have the dBASE II 
166 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


prompt, which is a DOT. This means 
dBASE II is waiting for a command from 
you. Next, type in: 

create <CR> 

This tells dBASE II that you want to 
build a new database. In response, the 
program prompts you for more informa¬ 
tion: 

ENTER FILENAME: phonebk 
<CR> 

It’s a good idea to use a name that will 
remind you of the file’s contents. dBASE 
II will now create a CP/M file on your 
disk called PHONEBK.DBF. (You 
don’t have to specify the extension 
“DBF” unless you want to.) Now 
dBASE II responds with: 

ENTER RECORD STRUCTURE AS 
FOLLOWS: FIELD 
NAME,TYPE,WIDTH,DECIMAL 
PLACES001 

Creating the Structure 

If the last message seems a little con¬ 
fusing, the following explanation should 
help clear things up. 

The first thing that dBASE II asks you 
to do is to indicate the structure of your 
database. In other words, the program 


wants to know the names, types, and 
sizes of the columns (or fields) in your 
database. The term structure should not 
be confused with the term data. Struc¬ 
ture refers to the framework, data to the 
actual content. Thus, the next few steps 
are very important, as they will deter¬ 
mine the way your database stores infor¬ 
mation. The following explanation of 
the screen message will help you under¬ 
stand the next steps in creating your data¬ 
base. 

•NAME What is the name you want to 
give to the first field (column)? A name 
can be up to 10 letters wide (either upper 
or lowercase), and may contain only 
colons (:) for punctuation. 

•TYPE What kind of information is 
going to be stored in this field? There are 
three choices (C, N, or L): 

C refers to characters (including all 
printable letters as well as any numbers 
that are not going to be mathematically 
manipulated). 

N refers to those numbers that will 
later require mathematical manipula¬ 
tion. 

L refers to logical (true/false or yes/ 
no). 


•WIDTH How many letters, numbers 
etc. do you plan to put into this field 1 
That is, how wide should it be? If you 
choose L for the TYPE category, tlu 
width will be 1. 

•DECIMAL PLACES If you enter N 
(meaning “numerical”) for the TYIT 

^ The advantages 
r you gain 
from dBASE II 
are proportional 
to the time 
you spend 
learning 
its quirks. 

category, you must indicate the numbei 
of decimal places in the field (e.g., for 
monetary figures, type 2 to indicate that 
there are 2 decimal places.) 

If you enter C or L for the TYPE cat¬ 
egory, simply ignore the DECIMAL 
heading by leaving it blank. 

Careful thinking at this stage will pay 
off in the long run. Revert to a little low 


technology for a minute by pulling out a 
piece of paper and a pencil. Ignore your 
computer. Now, make a list of what you 
want your database to do for you. Then 
consider how many columns you need, 
what they should be named, what type 
(C, N, or L) they will be, and how wide 
each column should be. Imagining what 
it would look like on paper is the best 
approach. See Figure 4 for a structure 
model. For the time being, use this struc¬ 
ture. We’ll change it later on as part of 
the tutorial. That way you can practice 
adding your own finishing touches to 
meet any specific needs you have. 

Since you will not be doing mathe¬ 
matical calculations on any of these 
fields (such as asking dBASE II to find 
the sum of all your friends’ ZIP Codes), 
you can categorize all the fields as C 
(character). (Both you and dBASEII will 
find it easiest to use character fields 
whenever possible.) 

Now, how long should each field be? 
Do a little research. Pull out a phone 
book and get an idea of how long peo¬ 
ple’s last names are. How long is the 
average street address? Count the letters 
in a few city names. 



field # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 

FIRST:NAME LAST:NAME PHONE:NO STREET CITY STATE ZIP 

Figure 4: Working model structure for dBASE 11 telephone directory database. 





































Locksmith 5.0™... Before It's Too Late. 


If something can go wrong, it will. At the worst possible 
moment. 

That's why you can count on a vital disk failing just when 
you need it most. Maybe it simply wore out ... or was 
damaged by static electricity ... or spilled cola rendered 
the disk unusable. Without a backup copy, you'll quickly 
find yourself at the end of your rope. 

Fortunately, there is the new, state-of-the-art 

Locksmith 5.0. 


Two years of research went into this up¬ 
dated version of the undisputed leader in 
software backup programs. 

The new Locksmith 5.0 
deciphers the latest, most 
sophisticated copy protection 
devices. So you can make 
backups of virtually all Apple- 
compatible programs*—more 
than any other nibble copier 
now available. 


owv? 


And, with the Locksmith 5.0, backups will be easy to 
make. It offers you a new, highly detailed owner's manual 
that clearly takes you step-by-step through each operation. 

The cost? Locksmith 5.0 retails for just $99.95. And the 
deal is even sweeter if you own an earlier Locksmith 
version. Locksmith 4.X owners can upgrade for only 
$24.95—3.X owners for only $39.95 (direct from Omega). 

When your disks fail, don't be left hanging. Back them up 
with Locksmith 5.0. It's available from 
your nearest dealer now. If he's out of 
stock, order direct from Omega MicroWare, 
Inc. by calling toll free: 


OMEGA MICROWARE, INC. 

222 S. RIVERSIDE PLAZA CHICAGO, IL 60606 

( 312 ) 648-4844 


*Note: Locksmith 5.0 copies everything from your original program, including all 
copyright notices and serial numbers. 

Locksmith is a trademark of Omega MicroWare, Inc. 

Apple Computer is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 

© Omega MicroWare, Inc. 1983 

CIRCLE 149 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


1 - 800 - 835-2246 

(Kansas residents call 
1-800-362-2421). Or simply send 
$99.95 plus $3.50 for shipping 
and handling charges to 
OMEGA MICROWARE INC. 

Apple IIE-compatlblel 
















GRAPHICS PRINTER SPOOLER 

The Dumi 


GRAPHICS PRINTER INTERFACE 

The Dumpling-GX is a DIP Switch Selectable 
Dual Hi-Resolution Graphics Screen Dump 
parallel interface card for Apple computers 
and most popular printers. 

At the flick of the DIP switch, The Dumpling 
will interface with: APPLE ■ EPSON NEC i 
IDS* ANADEX C-ITOH ■ PMC i CEN¬ 
TRONICS OKIDATA « MANNESMANN 
TALLEY 

Selectable Strobe and Acknowledge polar¬ 
ities allow use with any 8-bit parallel printer in 
text and block graphics mode. 

Microtek's proprietary on-board firmware en¬ 
ables the Dumpling-GX to establish intelligent 
communication between your Apple computer 
and your printer. Simple commands allow: 

• Selection of your printer by DIP switch. 

• Selective Dump Page 1, Page 2, or both in 
either text or graphics mode. 

• Chart Recorder Simulation. 

• Left & Right Margin Control. 

• Line Length/Page Length Selection. 

• Block graphics via 8th bit Control. 

• Printer bell Control. 

• Skip over Perf. 

• 90 degree Rotation. 

• Double Size Graphics. 

• Emphasized Graphics Print. 


^ ■64 is the next logical extension 
to the industi^ standard Dumpling-GX para¬ 
llel interface card, allowing tne computer to 
DUMP vast quantities of data into the Dump- 
ling-64 for later printing, thus freeing up tne 
computer for additionaitasks. 

The Dumpling-64 allows full use of all Dump¬ 
ling-GX features. In addition to the standard 
graphics features, the Dumpling-64 offers: 

• Buffer sizes from 0 K to 64K. User upgrad¬ 
able. 

• Graphics Dumps to Buffer. Page 1 and/or 2. 

• Multiple Consecutive Screen Dumps to 
Buffer. 

• Software reset to clear Buffer. 

• "Space Compression" saves valuable mem¬ 
ory taken up by 'spaces' in text or spread 
sheets. 

• Automatic Buffer Size Recognition. 

• Pause while printing-immediate. 

• Pause while printing-delayed. 

• Resume printing. 

• REMOTE pause-immediate: hooks up to 
telephone, switches—etc. 

• Buffer ON/OFF control. 

• INSERT text editing capability with Pause 
and Buffer ON/OFF control. 


'With special PROM and coble. 





































MORE MICROTEK 
COMPUTER 
PRODUCTS THAN 
EVER BEFORE. 


FOR APPLE/FRAMKUH A other 
"look-alikes" (APPLE lie Compatible) 


DUMPLING-GX 


DUMPLING-64 


BAM-128 

Q-DISC 

MAGNUM-80 

VISI-PAC 


RV-611C 

RAINBOW-2S6 

BAM-16MM 

VIZ-E-EXPAND 
VIZ-E-EXPAND 80 


Hi-Resolution Graphics Parallel 
Printer Interface Card with 
Graphics Features for all major 
printers 

64K Spooler Buffer for Text, Block 
and Dot Addressable Graphics. 
Works with all major printers 
64K/128K Memory Card 
128K Disc Emulation System 
80 Column Video Card 
A BAM-128, a MAGNUM-80, and 
Software for maximum use of 
your VISICALC Spreadsheet 
7 or 8 BIT Parallel Printer Inter¬ 
face Card 

RGB Board with 256 Output Col¬ 
ors to monitor 

16K Card with Memory Manage¬ 
ment System (M0VE-D0S) 

Visicalc Expansion Software 
Adds 80 Column Features to 


VIZ-E-EXPAND 

FOR THE IBM PC 


The HAL Series of IBM compatible memory boards: 
HAL-64, 128, 192, 256 Memory Expansion 
without Parity 

HAL-64P, 128P, 192P, 256P Memory Expansion 
with Parity 

The HAL Parallel Printer Cables 
The HAL Utility Software Package 


THE VIC-20 and COMMODORE 64 

VIM-8/16 8K or 16K Memory Expansion 

Module 

VIM-0 EPROM/RAM User Definable 

Module 

CC-2064 Parallel Printer Cable & Software 

for the VIC-20/64 


FOR ATARI 400 and 800 COMPUTERS 

AMB-16 16K Memory Card for Atari 

AMB-32A 32K Slot Independent Memory 

Card 

ATC-P Atari Parallel Printer Cable 

ATC-S Atari Serial or Modem Cable 


ALSO 

SCAMP SERIES RS-232C Serial Interface Cables 
6', 10', 25' 

MEW! 

• Stand-alone Printer Buffers with Auto 
Serial/Parallel Conversion up to 256K! 

• Serial Dumplings—with and without Buffer. 

MICROTEK products carry a 2 Year Warranty and are available 
from your local Dealer. For your Dealer's name or for further 
details call MICROTEK. 


MICROTEK^ 

4750 Viewridge Avenue 
San Diego, California 92123-1690 

(619) 569-0900 

Toll Free Outside CA (800) 854-1081 
TWX 910-335-1269 


BAM-16, DUMPLING-GX, DUMPLING-64, HAL, 
MAGNUM-80, Q-DISC, RV-611C, and SCAMP are 
trademarks of Microtek, Inc. APPLE and APPLE II 
are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. 
ATARI 400 & 800 are trademarks of Atari, Inc. 
CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital 
Research, Inc. IBM P.C. is a trademark of IBM. 
VIC-20 is a trademark of Commodore Business 
Machines. VISICALC is a trademard of VisiCorp. 
Z-80 is a trademark of Zilog, Inc. © Microtek, 1983 


Keep in mind that blank spaces take 
up room on your disk just as letters do. 
You want your fields to be long enough 
for all relevant data, such as phone num¬ 
bers and zip codes. But don’t make your 
fields so long that the shorter ones end up 
getting half filled with blank spaces. 
You know your field length is correct 


This command “opens” the database 
file that you just created. You must 
always open a file with the Use com¬ 
mand before dBASE II will allow you to 
do anything with it. 

Type the following (for DATE OF 
LAST UPDATE, enter the date you 
typed in earlier): 


field # 1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 7 

FIRST.NAME 

LAST:NAME 

PHONE:NO 

STREET 

CITY 

STATE ZIP 

type-C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C C 

size-10 

15 

12 

22 

13 

2 5 


Figure 5: Recommended maximum number of characters (width) for each field in the telephone directory 
database. 


when only an occasional name or 
address won’t fit in the field. You can 
usually abbreviate part of the entry in 
these cases. 

From experience I suggest that the 
lengths indicated in Figure 5 work best. 
The PHONE:NO field is 12 spaces long 
to allow room for an area code and the 
hyphens between the numerals. Since 
none of your fields are going to be 

t dBASE II is not 
particularly easy to 
learn. 

numerical, the reference to DECIMAL 
PLACES can be ignored this time. Now, 
proceed to enter the structure as follows. 
But beware. If you get a BAD NAME 
FIELD or other error message, check to 
see that you put the commas in the right 
place and that you separated multiword 
field names with colons only. And 
remember, the <CR> sign means 
Return. 

ENTER RECORD STRUCTURE AS 
FOLLOWS: 

FIELD NAME, TYPE, WIDTH 
DECIMAL PLACES 
001 first: name, c, 10 <CR> 
002 last:name,c,15 <CR> 

003 street,c,22 <CR> 

004 city,c,13 <CR> 

005 state,c,2 <CR> 

006 zip,c,5 <CR> 

007 h:phone,c,12 <CR> 
008 <CR> 


display structure <CR> 
STRUCTURE 

FOR FILE: A:PH0NEBK.DBF 
NUMBER OF RECORDS: 00000 
DATE OF LAST UPDATE: 00/00/00 
PRIMARY USE DATABASE 


FLD 

NAME 

TYPE WIDTH] 

001 

first: name 

c 

010 

002 

last:name 

c 

015 

003 

street 

c 

022 

004 

city 

c 

013 

005 

state 

c 

002 

006 

zip 

c 

005 

007 

phone 

c 

012 

** TOTAL ** 


00079 


Notice that aside from the structure, you 
will also see some other information, 
like the date that your database was last 
updated and the number of records or 
entries you have added thus far. Since 
you have not yet added data, this field 
should read 00000. 

In order to “close” your file and exit 
from dBASE II, use the following com¬ 
mand: 

quit <CR> 

You should now see the message: 

***END RUN DBASE II*** 

This means that the dBASE II program 
has relinquished control back to CP/M. 
You should now see the familiar 

A> 

prompt once again. 


INPUT DATA NOW (Y/N) ? n <CR> 

Assuming everything went smoothly, 
you have successfully created your data¬ 
base structure. 

Verifying the Structure 

Just to be safe, it is a good idea to 
verify that dBASE recorded the structure 
properly by typing a few commands: 

use phonebk <CR> 


Coming Soon . . . 

In the next issue of A+ we will 
explore techniques for entering and stor¬ 
ing data into your newly created dBASE 
II structure. + 


Robert Cowart, a former Technical Sup¬ 
port Specialist for North Star Comput¬ 
ers, is a free-lance writer living in 
Berkeley, California. 


CIRCLE 151 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M69 

















A NEW BREAKTHROUGH 


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Introducing A+, the Most Significant 
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It’s here! Big, bold and bursting with page 
after page of the latest in hardware, soft¬ 
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monthly magazine written exclusively for your 
Apple microcomputer. Each issue gets you 
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probing updates, unique departments—and 
reaches to the depths of your imagination to 
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Here’s just a sampling of 
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HARDWARE: From the latest 
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GOOD THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 19B3, 


wim Mppie TexT eaiTors, 
testing and debugging 
aids and data base man¬ 
agement systems. Since 
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vide range of utilities for each language so 
/ou can create your own exciting programs. 

HOME / PERSONAL PROGRAMS: 

overs it all...from basic processing...to help¬ 
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DATA FILES: Let A+ 

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/ou’ll be able to orga¬ 
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never thought possible. 


r 



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Savings based on full one-year subscription price of $24.97. 


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City_ 


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YOUR TURN: Speak up with your ideas and innovations 
and network with other Apple users near and far. 
























































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Advance in Apple History! 


It’s here! Big, bold and bursting with page 
after page of the latest in hardware, soft¬ 
ware, programming—and more! A+ is the 
monthly magazine written exclusively for your 
Apple microcomputer. Each issue gets you 
involved with a host of fascinating features, 
probing updates, unique departments—and 
reaches to the depths of your imagination to 
challenge you with daring new strategies and 
adventures! 

Here’s just a sampling of 
what A+ is all about: 


HARDWARE: From the latest 
advances in telecommunications 
and networking...to new ways 
to augment memory and access 
a wider variety of peripherals 
with greater ease...each issue 
of A+ gets you involved. 



SOFTWARE: What's new on the market and how 
you can make your system more powerful...plus full 
reviews and programming information. 

UTILITIES AND 

DIAGNOSTICS: In addition 
to language utilities, A+ helps 
you troubleshoot problems... 
makes you faster and more effi¬ 
cient... with utilities ranging from 
record processing to data 
transfer. 

BUSINESS AND FINANCE AIDS: Software 
for financial forecasting and analysis...general 
accounting programs...financial news retrieval 
services...and business graphics so you can see 
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State. 

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Continued from page 48 
matter what the computer said, printed 
lines were double-spaced. The solution 
to the problem was to remove the top 
cover (no problem for us since the unit 
came without screws) and flip an internal 
DIP switch by turning switch three to the 
OFF position. Although the manual says 
that the factory setting is to have all four 
of the internal DIP switches “off,” both 
the machines we received had switch 
number three set to “on.” The other 
switches control international character 
sets; besides the United States character 
set, you can choose British, German, or 
Swedish. And another switch puts the 
printer through a self-test. Although we 
would normally disparage a self-test bur¬ 
ied inside the machine, it has two saving 
graces. It is primarily aimed at service¬ 
men who use it for diagnosis, and it can 
be elicited by a control code. 

The documentation (our copies were 
marked GX-100) is scanty and may be 
confusing if you have never confronted a 
printer before. On the other hand, the 
manual gives the dedicated hobbyist 
more information than he might ever 
need to handle its Centronics-compatible 
parallel input port. Then again, with the 
Banana not much of the manual is 
needed. Just plug one cord into the wall 


and another into your Apple, spin some 
paper in, and you’re in business. 

Although it may not inspire faith, the 
Banana does do what it was designed for: 
It prints. Output is actually legible. It 
may be the ultimate no-frills printer. 
And for some users the Banana will 
make some of those frills on other 

^ While we were 
testing the Apple Dot 
Matrix Printer and the 
C. Itoh ProWriter II, we 
were struck by the 
similarity between 
the two machines. 


machines look more worthwhile than 
they did before. 

People first laughed at the name 
Apple , but when the machine proved 
itself as a well-built, versatile, reliable 
machine, the laughter changed into 
respect. The Banana has a funny name, 
too. Although the Apple overcame it’s 
handicap with excellence, there’s no 
such quality to change your opinion 
about the Banana. You’ll probably keep 


laughing about that ridiculous name all 
the way to the bank, as you deposit (hr 
money you saved by buying the leasl 
expensive printer. 

C. Itoh ProWriter II 

Put the ProWriter II and the Apple 
Dot-Matrix printers side by side and 
odds are that an illiterate, color-blind 
witness could not see the differences 
between them. Except for color and tin- 
names on the fronts, the machines look 
the same. Hopefully you are neither col 
or-blind nor illiterate because there are 
important underlying differences be 
tween these machines which may make 
one more useful and valuable to you than 
the other. We won’t go so far as to say 
that one printer may be better than the 
other, but only that the differences may 
make one of them personally preferable 
to you. 

Like the Apple, on the ProWriter nor¬ 
mal character sets are formed by a nine- 
wire printhead in a 7-by-9 dot matrix. 
Although only scanty information about 
dot-addressable graphics is given in the 
manual, apparently vertical dot spacing 
is 72 to the inch, and horizontal dot den¬ 
sity can be varied (be selecting different 
character widths) at 80, 96, 136 or 160 
per inch. 

Operator controls on the ProWriter II 


Micro (b'Op 

the microcomputer software co-operative 

Over <i thousand Apple owners already belong to the largest 
software co-operative in the world. In Micro C0-op's /;/. 
monthly newsletter our experts review and compare the latest 
software packages available for the Apple, keeping you up to 
date on the newest developments in applications, simulations, 
utilities, education, and gaming. The co-op has also just 
installed a toll-free ordering number for members. 

To join Micro Co-op, we charge only a $5 membership fee; 

support our services primarily through the software that 
members buy through the co-op. Our goal is to get you the 
information you need to make software decisions you won’t 
regret. 



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j: (In NJ only: 201-540-0445) 


J 


CIRCLE 199 ON READER SERVICE CARD 





























































HOLIDAY 3-PAK 
- *49. - 



$ 27.50 


$ 30.00 


CHOOSE ANY 3 OF NAVICS MOST POPULAR 
APPLE II PROGRAMS - PAY ONLY $49 FOR ALL 3! 

EACH PROGRAM SEPARATELY PACKAGED WITH INDIVIDUAL DISKETTES, OPERATING 
INSTRUCTIONS AND REGISTRATION — VALUES UP TO $117 IF PURCHASED SEPARATELY. 


— 

1-"”“l 


J 

1 I I 

CLIENT LIST 

TAX SHELTER 

PORTFOLIO II 

MORTGAGE MAKER 

MEDICAL ADVISOR STOCKROOM MANAGER 


Personal Filing and 
Mall List Program 

This program sorts and prints 
alphabetized lists with optional 
categories, it records Name, Ad¬ 
dress, Affiliation and Phone No. 
and prints labels up to 3-across 
arranged by zip code. Its ap¬ 
plications are limited only by 
the users imagination, it accom¬ 
modates up to 250 names. 

Keep track of dues payments, 
and sort names by active or 
non-active membership status. 
Print alphabetical lists for fund 
raising activities and mailing 
labels for monthly bulletins. 

Lists customers and prospects 
which are sorted by product 
interest and territory. 


Personal income Tax 

This program is based on the 
1983 Federal income Tax Rate 
tables. It accepts entries for 
each of the IRS specified income 
categories, adjustments, deduc¬ 
tions, credits and payment 
methods, and projects "bot¬ 
tomline" tax liability. 

This program makes subsidiary 
calculations on income averag¬ 
ing, alternate taxes, capital 
gains, exemptions etc. before 
displaying a summary of the 
various categories of income 
and expense. 

Separate data bases can be 
stored by varying situations or 
for different individuals. 
tax SHELTER is an invaluable tax 
planning and estimating tool, it 
is not intended for printing IRS 
forms. 


Stock Market 
investments 

Price information entered on a 
daily, or weekly basis is com¬ 
pared with the purchase price to 
establish gains and losses for up 
to 40 individual securities and 
for the whole portfolio. 

The program accumulates the 
history of each security's price 
flutuations. Trends are then 
presented as line graphs, with 
the stop-loss and profit-taking 
limits an integral part of the 
video screen display. 

Portfolio ll also has flexible 
routines for additions, changes, 
and deletions. 

Printouts of portfolio contents, 
and lists of designated sell-offs 
are preformatted and selectable 
from the main menu. 


Installment Payments & 
Amortization Tables 

This program is useful for ac¬ 
countants, attorneys, brokers 
and others who are in business 
or arranging financing on 
monthly payment plans. 

There are 2 separate routines in¬ 
cluded. The first routine quickly 
calculates the amount of the 
monthly payment required for a 
loan of any value, term and in¬ 
terest rate. The user simply 
enters the essential data, and 
the computer responds with the 
exact amount of the monthly 
payment. 

The computer then prints out 
the schedule of payments, de¬ 
tailing the allocation of prin¬ 
cipal and interest, as well as the 
principal balance for each 
monthly payment. 


Diagnose Common 
Illnesses 

FAMILY MEDICAL ADVISOR is a 
program to analyze overt symp¬ 
toms and identify the most pro¬ 
bable causative medical condi¬ 
tion. It uses the power of the 
computer to diagnose common 
ailments, obscure diseases, or 
simple childhood illnesses using 
nearly 10,000 possible combina¬ 
tions of symptoms. 

Simple "yes' or "no" answers 
to a series of questions promp¬ 
ted by the computer establish a 
unique data pattern. A special 
algorithm then enables the 
computer to analyze the accu¬ 
mulated data, and diagnose the 
most probable medical condi¬ 
tion from a data base of nearly 
200 common (and some not-so- 
common) illnesses. 


1000 - Item 
inventory Program 

There are 5 separate files of 200 
items each recorded on the 
diskette. Each entry is classified 
by its own part number and 
description up to 14 characters 
long. The item no. includes a file 
designator, and each entry also 
carries a location code, unit 
price and minimum stock level 
number. 

items may be retrieved from 
the files by searching for part 
number or description. 

Printout routines are included 
for -d) listing the entire inven¬ 
tory, (2) listing lowstock items 
below the preset minimum 
levels, and a separate routine 
for calculating the dollar value 
of the entire inventory. 


ALL PROGRAMS RUN ON APPLE II PLUS OR APPLE lie WITH SINGLE DISK DRIVE AND PRINTER 

ORDER TOLL FREE 1-800-327-2133 

IN FLORIDA CALL (305) 627-4132 OR SEND YOUR CHECK TO: 

NAVIC SOFTWARE * BOX 14727 • NORTH PALM BEACH • FLORIDA • 33408 

OFFER VALID THRU DEC. 1983 • APPLE II IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTER, INC. 


CIRCLE 154 ON READER SERVICE CARD 






















































are located in a recessed area on the front 
of the machine and allow all the normal 
paper handling functions—top-of-form, 
line feed, and selecting on-line or off¬ 
line. Two green LEDs indicate that the 
power is turned on (labeled POWER) 
and that the printer is on-line (labeled 
SEL). If a fault should occur, a red LED 
labeled P.E. lights up. Holding the line¬ 
feed button down speeds up the slow 
feeding. 

The ProWriter II uses a snap-in fabric 
ribbon cartridge that mounts on the mov¬ 
ing printhead assembly and is smaller 
than most matrix printer cartridges. (We 
found the cartridge to be interchangeable 
with that of the Apple Dot Matrix Print¬ 
er.) More like a typewriter ribbon than 
that of a typical printer, it automatically 
reverses when it reaches its end instead 
of continuing in an endless loop.) 

The ProWriter II can handle all kinds 
of paper, provided they are single sheets; 
roll paper; or fanfold, continuous-form 
paper from 4 to 10 inches wide. Single 
sheets and roll paper are friction-fed. 
Continuous-form paper is first fed from 
the rear of the printer through the tractor 
mechanism, then around a rubber platen, 
and past the printhead. The platen knob 
on the right side of the machine permits 
precision paper positioning, including 


some backward movement. The print- 
head to paper gap can be adjusted for 
dying ribbons or for multipart forms (up 
to 0.28 millimeters or 0.011 inch thick, 
an original and roughly three copies) by 
a plastic lever on the right side of the 
printhead chamber. 


^Learning to 
use the 

Apple printer with 
your Apple computer 
is easier 
than getting a 
handle on the 
ProWriter. 


Basic mechanicals and physical ap¬ 
pearances aside, there are significant dif¬ 
ferences between the ProWriter and 
Apple Dot Matrix printers. As men¬ 
tioned before, we were most surprised 
that the ProWriter II is appreciably faster 
than the Apple. It is noisier as well; it 
sounds a bit like a dentist’s drill. While 


the ProWriter II gives you block graph 
ics, the Apple allocates its memory to 
downloadable characters, different char 
acter widths, and two proportionally 
spaced character widths (instead of Pro- 
Writer’s one). 

If you’re a computing novice, the 
Apple printer will be quicker to get up 
and running. The ProWriter II gave us 
double line-feeds when connected to our 
Apple He and ran it through Applesoft 
BASIC. No big deal if you know what 
you’re doing; just flip one DIP switch 
located conveniently on the bottom of 
the printhead chamber. Contrary to the 
illustration in the manual, the DIP switch 
should not be set to automatically give a 
line feed with every carriage return. (If 
you encounter this problem, ignore the 
drawing on page A1-4 of the manual and 
move switch 1-8 to its OPEN position.) 
Note, too, that if you have problems get¬ 
ting the ProWriter’s standard parallel 
interface to work with your Apple, this 
manual will be no help. It states: “PAR¬ 
ALLEL INTERFACE: Depends on 
printer interface used.” 

As you might expect, learning to use 
the Apple printer with your Apple com¬ 
puter is easier than getting a handle on 
the ProWriter. The Apple manual is ex¬ 
cellent. The ProWriter manual is medi- 





In Ultrasuede®. 

A luxurious and functional 
cover for your Apple lie PC. 

Protect your investment with machine washable, soil- 
resistant Ultrasuede fabric. Add style and elegance to 
your home or office. Three designer colors: Camel, 

Smoke Grey and Ebony, $99. Matching disc drive covers: $24. 
Embroidered monogram available (3 initials), $6. 


Call Toll Free 800-437-4400 with Visa or Master- 
Card or Order by Mail: Designs in Fabric, 32 Marwood 
Road South, Port Washington, New York 11050. 


EH Computer Cover EH Disc Drive 

Color:-□□□ Monogram 

New York residents please add area sales tax. Please add $3 per cover for 
shipping and handling. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. 

EH Visa EH MasterCard EH Check 

Card No-Exp. Date_ 


Name- 

Address- 

City_State-Zip- 

Ultrasuede® is a registered trademark of Springs Industries, Inc. 


CIRCLE 156 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


176< A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


BOOK KEEPER II 

One of the most Versatile and user Friendly Personal 
bookkeeping systems on the market Today for 
Apple!! It is designed for PERSONAL OR SMALL 

business USE ONLY $99.50 

IT IS A BOOKKEEPER 

• Up to 300 user Defined General Ledger Accounts and Description 

• Process 1000 Entries per data Diskette 

• Maintain Monthly and Year To Date Totals 

• Batch process 200 Entries at a Time 

• UNLIMITED BACK DATING 

• UNLIMITED ACCOUNT RETRIEVAL AND CHANGING 

• UNLIMITED MONTHLY ENTRIES 

• Use it as a SINGLE or DOUBLE entry Bookkeeper 

• Add or Subtract to all Ledger Accounts 

IT IS A CHECK WRITER 

• Permanently store 300 Payable Vendors with FULL ADDRESS and 

a 30 char identification line 

• Batch process 100 checks in MINUTES 

• Write Checks up to $99,999.00 

• Uses LOW COST CHECK with window envelopes 

• Process a check for a single amount or up to 10 single entried with 

discounts 

• MAINTAIN UP TO 10 CHECK BOOK BALANCES 

• UNLIMITED LEDGER ACCOUNT distribution of check Amount 

• Complete Utility programs to Alter or Change all data files 

• All reports printed on standard 9'/?x 11 paper 

• 24 Hour User Hot Line 


Assoc. 



MONEY BACK GUARANTEE 
VISA OR MASTER CHARGE 
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED 


Box 1589 

Marietta, Georgia 30061 

(4041 422-8169 


APPLE IS A TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTER. INC 


CIRCLE 153 ON READER SERVICE CARD 








































gppkz/^- 


See you 
in San 
Francisco 


Only one copy system 
lets you backup 
64k programs 
in 20 seconds flat... 


Educators! 

Ask us about our 
school discount 






— 


the Snapshot Copykit 
for Apple He and 11+ 


While other manufacturers have been making wild promises, 
we've been quietly developing the superior copy system you've 
been waiting for: the SNAPSHOT COPYKIT. 

THE FLEXIBLE CARD - The SNAPSHOT COPYKIT is a board 
for all systems. It sits in any slot on the Apple He, 11+ and II as 
well as software-compatible machines like the Basis 108 and the 
Franklin Ace. So, you can upgrade your system without paying 
for another card. 

Although NO LANGUAGE CARD/16K CARD IS REQUIRED, 
the SNAPSHOT COPYKIT can be used with any memory card 
and all peripheral cards. 

The SNAPSHOT COPYKIT is the only copy card that stays up-to- 
date. Because all its software is in RAM, rather than inflexible 
ROM, the new enhancements we continually develop are made 
available to you at nominal cost — immediately. 

THE USER-FRIENDLY CARD — We refined backup techniques 
for two years to make the SNAPSHOT COPYKIT just right for 
you, whether you're new to the Apple or a seasoned pro. 

Other copy cards force you to use complex, unreliable procedures 
and repeated booting of 'utility disks' to copy programs larger than 
48K. Outdated 'nibble copier' programs involve frustrating trial- 
and-error parameter changes. Only the SNAPSHOT COPYKIT 
backs up all 64K memory-resident programs (and most larger 
programs too) with one simple menu and one press of the trigger. 

THE POWERFUL CARD — The SNAPSHOT COPYKIT gives 
you back the power over your computer that some programs try 
to take away. You can interrupt a running program, make a 
backup, list the program (even if it's 'unlistable'), disassemble it, 
step and trace it, modify it and resume running it. The program is 
not disturbed in any way and never knows it was interrupted. You 


can view its graphics, print them (if you have a graphics card) and 
much more. You can even temporarily suspend one program while 
you use another. 

All backups are automatically BRUNnable files that you can move 
to hard disk. Our state-of-the-art compression facility lets you put 
a number of backups on one floppy. 

With powerful features like these, it's no wonder that BYTE 
magazine called SNAPSHOT "The Ultimate Unlock System". 

The SNAPSHOT COPYKIT has many more features for 
programmers, gamesters and others. Write for our info packet or 
leave your address and questions with our 24-hour answering 
service at (413) 584-7600. All SNAPSHOT owners receive our 
'Technical Hot-Line' number for instant technical guidance. 

PRICE: $139.95 

(Snapshot Two is still available for the Apple 11+ and Franklin 
Ace at $119.95. 16K Card required; please specify brand when 
ordering). 

TO ORDER: Mail check payable to Dark Star Systems. Add $3 for 
shipping in the U.S. ($7.50 to Canada, $15 elsewhere). Mass, 
residents add 5% tax. COD costs $5 extra (not available outside 
U.S.). 



SYSTEMS 


R39A South St., Dept. A , Williamsburg, MA 01096 
Office (413) 268-7351 

Apple is a reg. trademark of Apple Computer. 


CIRCLE 157 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


























ocre. Although clearly written, it’s 
shipped without a binder, and its numer¬ 
ous programming examples are written 
in a language different from Applesoft 
BASIC. 

Apparently no one has ever tried the 
tutorial in the ProWriter manual about 
special typeface features. The in¬ 
structions help you turn on and off 
various 4 4 enhancements, ’ ’ alternate 
pitches and the like. Take a look through 
it, and you’ll discover that no one ever 
tells you how to cancel the 4 ‘proportional 
space” mode. Consistent with this omis¬ 
sion, all the examples given for the pro¬ 
portional space mode are shown com¬ 
bined with the other feature. If you want 
to get rid of the proportional spacing, 
you’ll either have to turn the printer off 
and reset it or go hunting for the proper 
escape code. Sure, it’s a minor point, but 
someone should have noticed when the 
manual was being produced. It makes 
you wonder what else might have been 
missed. 

Mannesmann-Tally Spirit-80 

If you are familiar with Mannesmann- 
Tally’s other printers, the sleek, wedge 
design of the Spirit-80 may seem foreign 
in comparison to its other no-nonsense, 
heavy-weight machines. Unlike Tally’s 
more expensive, European-crafted print¬ 


ers, the Spirit-80 is manufactured in 
Japan. Of course, this country of origin 
is now the norm among inexpensive 
matrix printers. 

The performance of the Spirit-80 is 
about what you would expect from a 
printer in its class. We measured a 
throughput of 59 characters per second 


^The sleek, wedge 
design of the 
Spirit-80 may 
seem foreign in 
comparison. 


virtually the same speed as that of the 
Epson RX-80, for instance. And as 
should be expected from Tally and 
Japan, it’s both solidly and precisely 
built. Notably, a profusion of plastic 
gears hides inside the Spirit near its rub¬ 
ber platen roller, much like in Tally’s 
more expensive printers. Other printers 
in the Spirit’s class either lack such 
mechanical wonders, or keep them fur¬ 


ther from sight. 

The Spirit-80 offers a variety of prim 
modes and typefaces including normal, 
reduced, enlarged (double-width), em 
phasized, italic, reduced-size superscripi 
and subscript print, all of which can be 
mixed and matched to your heart’s con 
tent. Both block graphics and dot 
addressable graphics (in two horizontal 
densities, 80 and 160 dots per inch) can 
be printed. All of these features can be 
selected through software command us 
ing escape sequences. Other escape 
codes allow setting line spacing, hori¬ 
zontal tabs, and skipping over perfora¬ 
tions in continuous-form paper. 

The carriage of the Spirit-80 is more 
than wide enough to handle 9 Vi inch, 
sprocket-fed paper and can print 80 char¬ 
acters across it in normal mode, 142 in 
the compressed mode. A lever on the 
printhead assembly allows adjustment of 
printhead force for multiple copies or 
fading ribbons. The Spirit-80 will handle 
an original and up to three copies (max¬ 
imum 0.01 inches). 

The Spirit-80 uses a nine-wire print- 
head and forms characters out of a 7- 
by-8 array of dots. Although it uses the 
same standard pitch and line spacing (in 
normal mode) as most printers in its class 
do, letters formed by the Spirit appear 


The computer-age storybook for kids! 


KATIE 
AND THE 
COMPUTER 

By Fred D’Ignazio 
Illustrated by Stan Gilliam 



l""cREATIVE COMPUTING PRESS 

I Dept. NE5H, 39 East Hanover Avenue 
I Morris Plains, NJ 07950 

I Please send me _ Katie and the I 

■ Computer at $8.95* plus $2.00 postage and j 
I handling each. Outside USA add $3.00 per I 
| order. #12A 

j n PAYMENT ENCLOSED $_ j 

‘Residents of CA, NJ and NY State add ■ 
applicable sales tax. 

j □ CHARGE MY: 

i □ American Express ; 

□ MasterCard □ Visa ■: 


This wonderful storybook 
teaches young children how a 
microcomputer works. Katie 
ends up inside her dad’s new 
micro...and has an adventure 
with Colonel Byte and the other 
characters who make a com¬ 
puter work. Her journey follows 
the path of a computer com¬ 
mand; her experiences are 
technically accurate yet easily 


understandable, right down to 
her encounters with a program 
bug. Additional material is in¬ 
cluded to help you relate the 
story to actual working parts of 
the computer. With truly ex¬ 
ceptional color illustrations, 
this is an excellent first com¬ 
puter book for youngsters. 
Hardcover 
11" x 8 V 2 ", illustrated. 


Card No_ 

Exp. Date_ 

Signature_ 

Mr. 

Mrs. 

Ms_ 

(please print full name) 

Address_ 

Apt_ 

City_ 

State_ 

Zip_ 

□ Send me a FREE Creative Computing 
Catalog. 


For faster service, 

PHONE TOLL FREE: 800-631-8112 

(In NJ only: 201-540-0445) 

Also available at your local bookstore or computer store. 


178< A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 














































Legal Apple 1 ’” Compatible 

New Computer runs CP/M & Apple Type Software 


CALABASAS — Now instructors can 
teach Apple-type programs such as 
LOGO in one class and professional-style 
word processing in another without any 
hardware changes. Dual microprocessors 
(Z80-A & 6502, two computers in one 
case), with the radical new Orange Plus 
development the “EuroROM”, allows the 
machine to read/write/work with Apple- 
type software as well as CP/M programs 
and access either CPU via the keyboard. 

The “ ORANGE+TWO "™ is a brand 
new direction in the evolution of the per¬ 
sonal computer. ORANGEFORTH-83, a 
derivative of Fig-FORTH — a readily 
available public domain language, is resi¬ 
dent in the ROM*. Also included is CP/M 
3.0, Digital Research’s latest CP/M ver¬ 
sion. There is also a built-in disk drive 
controller for two Apple-type drives, a 
cassette interface, joystick port, color gra¬ 
phics and ASCII keyboard with numeric 
keypad. For expert word processing, the 
keyboard features upper and lower case 
(lower case characters are true descen¬ 
ders) with auto repeat. 

This new breed of computer is a break¬ 
through for educators and school systems 
throughout the world. The ability to run 
both Apple-type and CP/M software on 
the same machine relieves financially- 
pressed educators from expensive equip¬ 
ment burdens, allowing them to spend 
more money where it counts... on the 
teachers. 

* Available on disk at extrta cost. 

THE LEASING 
ALTERNATIVE 

CALABASAS — Through select leasing 
companies, Orange Plus Computer 
Systems will offer the following lease 
programs to qualified corporations and 
educational institutions: An “ORANGE+ 
TWO’*” computer with a green monitor 
and one disk drive for only $59.55 per 
month.. .36 month closed end lease. Also 
included is a full maintenance program 
and all revisions and upgrades that may 
be available during the term of the lease. 
Subject to credit approval. Call for 
additional information. 

DISTRIBUTORS: 

CALL (213) 999-5210 

CALABASAS — Due to the tremendous 
amount of individual inquiries and dealer 
applications, qualified stocking distribu¬ 
tors are needed. Select areas available! 



MORE FOR LESS 

The “ ORANGE+TWO "™ 64K computer includes these standard features: 


Built-in CP/M 2.2 compatibility .no charge 

Digital Research’s CP/M 3.0.no charge 

Built-in disk drive controller for two Apple-type drives . no charge 

Numeric keypad with separate return key . no charge 

110/220 volt switch selectable power supply, 50-60 Hz. no charge 

Full function ASCII keyboard with auto repeat. no charge 

Cassette interface . no charge 

Fully grounded metal base plate . no charge 

Adjustable audio volume control. no charge 

ORANGEFORTH-83, Z80-A FORTH language, resident in ROM ... no charge 

Z80-A CPU, a second computer. no charge 

6 slot double sided logic board. no charge 

Bank switchable RAM, fully socketed, expandable to 256K. no charge 

Programmable 2764 EPROMs . no charge 

TOTAL: “ORANGE+TWO”"* .$1095.00 


Compare these features included on the “ORANGE+TWO”"* with the competi¬ 
tion’s over $2000 for equivalent product. 

MORE PRODUCTS FROM ORANGE PLUS COMPUTER 
SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE YOUR “ORANGE+TWO”™, 
APPLE ll/ll PLUS, OR FRANKLIN ACE 1000 


Disk-based ORANGEFORTH-83 language with full documentation.... $99.95 

Digital Research’s™ CBASIC with disk and documentation.$49.95 

Orange Plus KoalaPad™ Touch Tablet w/Micro Illustrator™.$124.95 

Orange Plus Joystick (works on "ORANGE+TWO“, Apple II, II+, & //e) .... $29.95 

Orange Plus self-centering joystick.$39.95 

10MB (Formatted) 5Va" half-height Winchester Hard Disk Drive.$1495.00 

Controller & Interface for Hard Disk**.$395.00 


**Includes everything necessary to be installed in “ Orange+Two ” Apple or Franklin Computer 
The above are suggested retail prices. Prices may vary from state to state. 

Collins International Trading Corporation, 

23801 Calabasas Road, Suite 2050, Calabasas, CA. 91302 

( 213 ) 999-5210 


CIRCLE 160 ON READER SERVICE CARD 






































noticeably smaller. 

We received a film ribbon with the 
Spirit-80 instead of the fabric ribbon 
used on most matrix printers. According 
to Mannesman-Tally, the ribbon is a 
continuous loop and is good for 
1,000,000 characters—a point we did 
not test. The difference in quality using 
the film ribbon was minor. The printout 
was a slightly darker black, and the indi¬ 
vidual dots of each character blended 
together better than with the other print¬ 
ers in this test. 

The ribbon must be the easiest to 
install and remove of any that we have 
encountered. In fact, we were able to 
remove and install the ribbon cartridge 
while the Spirit-80 was printing! (We 
don’t recommend you follow in our foot¬ 
steps, however, as operating without a 
ribbon can damage any printer.) 

Controls on the Spirit-80 fit the de 
facto standard for printers in this price 
range: four LED indicators, green for 
Power On, On-Line, and Ready, and a 
red one for Paper Out; three pushbutton 
switches for putting the Spirit-80 On- 
Line, Line-Feed, and Form-Feed. 
Again, like most printers in our test, the 
top of form for continuous paper is set by 
mechanically adjusting the paper, then 
switching the power off and back on. 


The power switch is located on the right 
side of the machine which is fairly con¬ 
venient. The Spirit-80 assumes you will 
be using sheets 11 inches (66 lines) long. 
Setting other form lengths requires 
escape code programming. 

Continuous-form paper is fed into the 
Spirit-80 from the rear, through a unidi- 

^ We were 
able to remove 
and install 
the ribbon cartridge 
while the Spirit-80 
was printing! 


rectional tractor, then around a rubber 
platen. A knob on the left side of the 
printer allows fine adjustment of vertical 
paper position. With this paper-feeding 
arrangement, a limited amount of 
“backing-up” of continuous-form paper 
is possible. A wire paper-guide/separa¬ 
tor keeps ingoing and outgoing sheets 
from interfering with one another. The 
Spirit-80 will also friction feed single 


sheets. 

Default settings of typefaces, charac¬ 
ter sets, and other functions (slashed 
zero, buzzer on, automatic line feed witli 
carriage return) are controlled by two 
DIP switch banks. Adjusting them, how 
ever, requires delicate surgery. They are 
located on the main circuit board of the 
machine and getting to them requires 
unscrewing the top cover and balancing 
the pieces. A short wire ties the two 
pieces together—one false move and it’s 
straight to the repair shop. You may nev¬ 
er need to tangle with these switches— 
our Spirit-80 worked fine with our Apple 
He without having to dig out the screw¬ 
driver. Anyway, most of the DIP switch 
functions are duplicated by escape 
codes. However, if you do need to make 
a permanent change in a default setting, 
it may be best to have your dealer do 
it. 

The Operator’s Manual , which ac¬ 
companies the Spirit-80 is a thin, but 
complete, pamphlet that provides setup, 
programming and parallel interfacing 
instruction, and reference material. The 
setup instructions assume you know how 
to read, but that’s about all. The pro¬ 
gramming section assumes you know 
what to do with escape codes. The inter¬ 
facing instructions assume that you are 


m wmm mm . 


^ g a Hi 


ISOBAR... 

*■ Jk 

the most complete 


computer protection! 



More features to prevent errors, false printout, disc 
skips! Only ISOBAR has 3-way spike protection, noise 
suppression for RFI PLUS isolated filter banks! In¬ 
dividual filter banks isolate each load from other loads 


minimizing data errors of any kind. MOV surge sup¬ 
pressors arrest both common mode and differential 
mode surges. L/C filter network rejects radio fre¬ 
quency noise at any amplitude. Torroidal coils for 
greatest efficiency! All-metal housing. 


j Indus-Tool, 325 W. Huron, Dept. A 
Chicago, IL 60610 • Call 1-312-642-6871 

I Enclosed is $_or charge on 

j □ MasterCard or □ Visa Expires- 
\ Card no _ 


T Model IBAR 4-6 


j Signature _ 
| Company. 
■ Address_ 


j (4 outlets, 

! 6 ft. cord) 

I Only $79.95 

-| Model IBAR 2-6 
-! (2 outlets, 

| 6 ft. cord) 

I Only $54.95 

-j Model IBAR 8-15 
. j (8 outlets, 

115 ft. cord) 


LZ __ _Only $97.95 

CIRCLE 161 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


Travel With Your Apple... 
Call (800) 847-4176! 



ABS Storage 
& Carrying Case 

with 

Removable Cover 

$69.50* 


*UPS Shipping Included. 


Apple • IBM • Epson 

Call for Complete Computer Case Catalog. 
Credit Card Customers Call Toll Free 


Fiberbilt 

Ikelheimer-Ernst, Inc. 

601 West 26th Street 



New York, New York 10001-1199 
(212) 675-5820 (N.Y. State) 



Gladly accepted 


CIRCLE 159 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


180 < A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


























































o 



PASCAL 


The only communications software 

you’ll ever need! 


Softerm 1 

The Complete, Upgradeable Package 
lor Home or Business Use 

lofterm 1 is a powerful and flexible terminal emula- 
non program that operates on an Apple® II, II Plus, 
lie to provide basic terminal communications to 
i variety of host computers, timesharing services, 
.uid information services such as The Source™ 
CompuServe® and the Dow Jones News/Retrieval® 
it operates full or half-duplex at speeds up to 
'IliOO bps using either a direct connection or any 
■landard manual or auto-dial modem. Features in¬ 
clude user-defined Keyboard macros, built-in phone 
imok for automatic dialing, terminal mode line 
capture simultaneously to print or disk, copy screen 
hi print or disk, and terminal status display. 

DOS, CP/M, and PASCAL 
l ile Compatibility Combined In 
i Single Program 

iofterm 1 incorporates an advanced file manager 
which provides compatibility with DOS 3.3, CP/M, 
md Pascal disk formats for all file operations 
including file transfers. And at speeds up to 5 times 
■aster than standard Apple DOS! Built-in disk utili- 
llus provide INIT, CATALOG, RENAME, and DELETE 
i ammands for all disk formats. Wildcard match char- 
.icters can be used whenever filenames are entered. 

local file transfers allow DOS, CP/M, or Pascal 
Hies to be displayed, printed, or even copied to 
another disk. For example, a file on a CP/M for¬ 
matted disk in Drive 1 could be copied to a Pascal 
initatted disk in Drive 2 providing a complete 
format conversion capability. Numerous editing 
Dlilions such as tab expansion and removing 
unwanted characters allow easy reformatting of 
lata to accommodate the variations in data formats 
(mod by host computers. 


Multi-Protocol 
File Transfer Capability 

Softerm 1 offers file transfer methods flexible 
enough to match any host computer requirement. 
These include the character protocol with user- 
definable characteristics to provide maximum flexi¬ 
bility for text file transfers to any computer. The 
CP/M User’s Group standard XMODEM protocol 
may be used for binary file transfers with systems 
using the CP/M operating system. The intelligent 
Softrans protocol can be used to transfer any type 
file and provides automatic binary encoding and 
decoding, error detection and automatic retransmis¬ 
sion, and data compression to enhance line utiliza¬ 
tion. A FORTRAN 77 source program is supplied 
with Softerm 1 which is easily adaptable to any 
host computer to allow communications with 
Softerm using the Softrans protocol. Specific host 
computer versions of the Softrans FORTRAN pro¬ 
gram are available on request. 

Softerm file transfer utilizes an easy to use com¬ 
mand language which may be executed interactively 
or from a macro command file which has been 
previously entered and saved on disk. Twenty-three 
high-level commands include DIAL, CATALOG, 
SEND, RECEIVE, ONERR, MONITOR, HANGUP, and 
others. A SCHEDULE command even allows file 
transfers at a specific date and time. 

Softerm 2 

The “Choice of Professionals” 

Softerm 2 includes all features of Softerm 1 and 
provides an exact terminal emulation for a wide 
range of conversational and block mode CRT ter¬ 
minals. Special function keys, sophisticated editing 
features, even local printer capabilities of the ter¬ 
minals emulated are fully supported. In fact, your 
host computer won’t know the difference! All of the 
following emulations are included in Softerm 2 and 
the list is growing... 


ADDS Regent 20,25,40,60 • ADDS Viewpoint • 
Data General D200 • Datapoint 3601 • DECVT102, 
VT52 • Hazeltine 1400,1410,1500,1520 • Honey¬ 
well VIP7205 • IBM 3101 Model 10 and 20 • Lear 
Siegler ADM-3A, ADM-5 • TeleVideo 910,925 

You’ll Never Outgrow It 

For the latest program enhancements, you can 
access the Softronics Online Update Service 24 
hours a day, 7 days a week. New hardware support 
or terminal emulations are immediately available to 
all Softerm users. 

Softerm 1 - $135 Softerm 2 - $195 
Available now from your local dealer or Softronics, 
Inc. 

*Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., CP/M is a 
registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc., Dow Jones News/ 
Retrieval is a registered trademark of Dow Jones, Inc., The Source 
is a service mark of Source Telecomputing Corporation. CompuServe 
is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc. 



SOFTRONICS 


6626 Prince Edward, Memphis, TN 38119, 901-683-6850 


CIRCLE 163 ON READER SERVICE C ARD 



















an electrical engineer, and you want to 
design your own system. But you need 
not worry about all this technicalese. 
The Spirit-80 came to life without a hitch 
immediately after we plugged in a stan¬ 
dard Centronics interface cable into the 
connector in the back. (Serial interface is 
optional.) 

Star Micronics Gemini-lOX 

Overall, it’s difficult to fault the Gem¬ 
ini-lOX when compared to the other 
machines in this group. It was a close 
second in print speed and tied for first in 
noisiness. It has one of the widest vari¬ 
eties of type widths in the group and 
worked flawlessly throughout our brief 
test period. When we start nitpicking, 
there’s still something good to be said 
about even its worst features. They hard¬ 
ly interfered with performance. 

For instance, the Gemini-lOX was the 
only printer in this group that does not 
use ribbon cartridges. Consequently, we 
started our second day of testing with 
fingers that had turned purple from 
threading its inked fabric spools. No 
doubt that with practice the job can be 
mastered. And discolored fingertips ev¬ 
ery million or so characters deserves no 
major penalty. Proponents of noncar¬ 
tridge ribbons will be quick to point out 
that the old-fashioned way is more eco¬ 


nomical. A noncartridge ribbon can be 
turned over for extra printing life and is 
generally cheaper. Unless you’re aller¬ 
gic to ink, the style of ribbon should not 
be a major factor in choosing a print¬ 
er. 

Similarly, the transparent plastic cov- 


^Similarly, the 
transparent plastic 
cover to the 
Gemini-lOX can 
be spurned or 
praised. 


er to the Gemini-lOX can be spurned or 
praised. It is not hinged; both its front 
and rear edges snap into place. And if 
you’re used to hinged covers, you’ll 
probably end up snapping off the tabs 
that lock the back edge down. The first 
time we lifted the lid, we snapped off the 
left tab. Twenty minutes later, after hav¬ 
ing learned to be more careful with the 
left-hand side, we snapped off the right 


tab. 

On the positive side, however, the lid 
on the Gemini-lOX completely covers 
the entire printhead chamber and pre¬ 
vents anything from paper clips to 
spilled coffee from dropping into and 
possibly damaging the mechanism. 

The Gemini-lOX uses a rubber platen 
roller with a paper-feed tractor on the 
input side. This arrangement permits the 
use of either friction-fed single sheets or 
roll paper (a roll holder is included with 
the printer) or sprocket-edged continu¬ 
ous fanfold paper. Paper can be rolled 
backward (carefully) when initially posi¬ 
tioning the “top of form’’ with continu¬ 
ous paper—a small, but welcome con¬ 
venience. 

The cover must be removed to load 
paper, and the off-and-on-again routine 
may become cumbersome when friction 
feeding individual sheets. Of course, 
you can always leave the cover off for 
sheet feeding. For continuous fanfold 
paper, however, we found the Gemini- 
lOX to be one of the quickest and easiest 
printers to load of all those reviewed 
here. On the other hand, the feed mech¬ 
anism seemed a bit more sensitive than 
most to the condition of the feed paper. 
Although our observations were purely 
subjective, the Gemini-lOX seemed 


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CIRCLE 165 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


1824 A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 

































WRITE 

YOUR OWN 
APPLE GAMES 


Includes 40 exciting 
pre-programmed games 
to get you started! 


Write Your Own Apple Games is your 
ticket to thousands of hours of solid game 
fun. 

But it’s more than just a game book. 
While you’re enjoying more than 40 ex¬ 
citing new programs, you’ll be learning- 
quickly and easily-the most advanced 
techniques of computer game design. 

In Write Your Own Apple Games, 
Stuart Anstis explains each game to you in 
logical, step-by-step subroutines. You’ll see 
crucial game graphics exactly as they should 
appear on your screen. 

Then you’ll learn how to rearrange the 
basic subroutines to create countless game 
variations. 

If you know BASIC, you’re ready to learn 
state-of-the-art game techniques, including 
how to: 

■ Create smooth, flicker-free screen move¬ 
ment 

■ Generate flashing “neon-sign” graphics 

■ Keep game scores 

■ Use random number in game design-and 
make your computer come alive as an 
opponent 

■ Zero in on random time delays—a chal¬ 
lenge to even the most sophisticated arcade 
player 

And much more. 

Write Your Own Apple Games gives 
you all the skills you need to start designing 
your own original computer games for fun— 
and profit! 

And because writing your own games 
gives you greater control of your Apple’s 
numerical and graphic capabilities, you’ll be 
opening the door to fantastic new possibili¬ 
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Write Your Own Apple Games should 
sell for over $1,000—the cost of 40 pre¬ 
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Action Games 

Tank • Sprint • Bomber 
Wait For It • Painting 
Race • Weight Lifters 
Target • Helicopter 
Tiddler • Pingpong 
Diddle • Space Zapper 
Craps • Cross Porpoises 

Strategy Games 

Zigzag • Bridge-lt • Stock 
Market • Gold Auction 
Tictactoe • Turnover 
Chomp 

Word Games 

Hangman • What’s My 
Word? • Birthdaywish 
What’s Your Name? 
Any Messages? 

Graphics 

Subroutines 

Butterfly • Firework 
Electric Field • Stopwatch 
Lissajou 

Solo Games and 
Puzzles 

Simon • Organ • Elithorn 
Running On Empty 
Guess A Number 
Buried Treasure 
Jumpers • Peggy 

Educational and 
Scientific Games 

Arrow • Random Walk 
Scatter • Curve 
Magic Squares 


But you can get Write Your Own Apple 
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cents a game—and every game you write 
yourself is virtually free! 

Start having some serious fun with your 
Apple computer. Send for your copy of 
Write Your Own Apple Games today. 



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I Please send me_copies of Write Your 

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more likely to have feed problems; a 
misplaced cord running across the paper 
path required more than normal force to 
pull the paper through the printer. 

Front panel controls on the right side 
of the top of the Gemini- 10X are typical 
of the printers in this group. It has three 
pushbuttons, one each for on-line/off 
line selection, form feed, and line feed. 
As you might expect, form feed and line 
feed function only when the printer is 
off-line. Four LED indicators complete 
the controls: POWER, READY, ON 
LINE, and PAPER OUT. A lever on the 
left side of the printhead chamber adjusts 
the printhead gap for multipart forms or 
failing ribbons. 

Two DIP switches control printer set¬ 
up and defaults. One of them is buried 
inside and the other is accessible from 
the rear of the machine. Changing the 
defaults settings (international character 
sets, pitch line spacing, and type style at 
power-on) requires disassembly of the 
machine. The only redeeming aspects to 
this inconvenience are that all of these 
settings can be software controlled, and 
that the Gemini-1 OX defaults were 
already set to the most likely specifica¬ 
tions (10 pitch, 6 line per inch spacing, 
U.S. character set, and standard type¬ 
face). The easily adjustable rear panel 


DIP switches control the functions that 
are most likely to need changing when 
the Gemini-1 OX is shuffled between 
computers and programs. These include 
selection of automatic line feed with car¬ 
riage return (or not), data word length (7 
or 8 bits), and so on. We pulled the Gem¬ 
ini-1 OX out of the box, plugged it into a 


The Gemini-lOX sports 
more special 
features than 
any of the 
other printers in 
this test group. 


standard parallel interface cable from 
our Apple He, and everything worked 
fine—no adjustments or switch flicks 
needed. (An optional serial interface 
version is available but was not test¬ 
ed.) 

The Gemini-lOX sports more special 
features than any of the other printers in 
this test group (though Apple allows 
more character widths), including an 
italic typeface, reduced-size superscripts 


and subscript characters, and the ability 
to download character sets. Both block 
graphic characters and dot-addressable 
graphic abilities are standard. 

One final note: The Gemini-lOX and 
its sibling, the STX-80, both arrived 
packed with a spare fuse. Far from hint¬ 
ing that the printers would somehow 
need the spare, the extra fuse gives you a 
second chance to get the machine run¬ 
ning befofe you run up a repair bill. 
Alas, you must disassemble the printer 
to replace the fuse. 

Star Micronics STX-80 

The STX-80 was the only printer in 
the group we tested that drew a crowd to 
ooh and aah over it. All the other 
machines were impact printers that, at 
best, sounded like friendly dentists’ 
drills. The STX-80 is a nonimpact ther¬ 
mal printer and was so quiet we couldn’t 
measure its contribution to the general 
chaos of the room. The crowd gathered 
to watch its nearly silent, magic work as 
the print-head quickly scooted across the 
paper and words appeared magically. 

Otherwise the STX-80 is not particu¬ 
larly amazing. It’s quite slow, about 27 
characters per second in our tests, not¬ 
withstanding its bidirectional and logic¬ 
seeking virtues, and has no exclusive 
features except its silence. On the posi- 



KNOW-DRIVE 

The smartest 128K card for the APPLE® 


VISICALC® users: 


Use with either Super Expander Plus™ from Omega MicroWare, or VC-Expand/80™ from 
Saturn Systems, or V-Calc 80 Mem/Expand™ from Videx to expand spreadsheet memory, 80 
columns support, and fast loads. Optional add-on available soon — will upgrade to 512K 
with Insertion of 256K Rams. 


A li Jill JIEI3C ■ KNOW-DOS™ drive simulation software included. Plus fast ABCDOS™ Plus Source Code 
rl\(Jljl\AlVlfVltK5r to all machine language drivers (we're a very friendly company). 


HACKERS: 


Oncard WRITE protect hardswitch. New!!! PLAY-BACK™ remote option offers RESET vector 
RAM/ROM plus via NMI: interrupting, analyzing/modifying and saving all memory to disk. 
(Play-back option includes powerful NMI software — $39). 


Featuring — ][, ][ +, lie and Franklin™ compatible. Fully socketed; slot independent; gold edge connectors. 
Selectable hardware compatibility with 128K cards from Legend Industries, Saturn Systems, Omega 
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KNOW-DRIVE 128K - $335 


PLAY-BACK - $39 


KNOW-DRIVE. ABCDOS. KNOW-DOS. PLAY-BACK are trademarks of ABACUS Enterprises. Inc. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple 
Computer. Inc.. VisiCalc is a registered trademark of VisiCorp, Inc., Franklin is a trademark of Franklin Computer Corporation. Other 
trademarks used are credited to manufacturers as shown. Price and specifications are subject to change without notice. Revision D. 


Cash. Check. and accepted. ■ Add $5.00 for shipping 

■ Michigan residents add^% sales tax ■ Dealer inquiries welcome 
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orders only National: 1-800-835-2246, ext. 277 
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Made In USA 





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H peripherals ©1983 


1844 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


CIRCLE 167 ON READER SERVICE CARD 







































Some Very Good 
Reasons to Buy 
an Echo Speech 
Synthesizer. 


We’re confident we have the most intelligible, 
versatile, and economical speech synthesizer 
on the market. Once you hear it, we’re sure 
you’ll be convinced too. All ECHOs are capable 
of speaking in four different voice modes 
which range from a robotic machine voice to 
natural female speech. (The fixed speech and 
custom modes are optional.) 

It’s Easy To Use 

Unlike other speech systems, the ECHOs 
are very simple to use. It only takes a minute 
or two to get the ECHO talking. Any text 
which can be printed to the screen can be 
spoken. If you’ve written a BASIC program 
you can add speech with simple modifications. 

Software Compatibility 

Not only can you add speech to the programs 
you write yourself, over 25 top educational 
and adventure software manufacturers are 
currently designing programs to be compatible 
with the ECHO ][. Be watching for details. 



Value 

Each ECHO comes ready to use with a speaker 
and tutorial-style manual. The ECHOH, 
priced at $149.95, also comes with a variety 
of demonstration and utility programs. The new 
ECHO GP (General Purpose), priced at $199.95 
is a stand-alone unit with its own on-board 
microprocessor; it will interface with any 
computer through the serial port. All ECHOs 
have a one year warranty. 

Bells And Whistles 

If you want bells, whistles, music and sound 
effects, plus state-of-the-art sprite graphics 
capabilities, the ECHO technology is available 
on Synetix Systems’ new Supersprite Board. 

Check It Out 

Most Apple dealers have the ECHOX available 
for demonstration as part of Street Electronics/ 
Orange Micro’s unique Grappler+™, Buffer- 
board™, ECHO!!™ Talking Demonstration. 

H 

Street Electronics Corporation 

1140 Mark Avenue Carpinteria, CA 93013 
Telephone (805)684-4593 


The Echo][ is a registered trademark of Street Electronics Corporation. The Grappler+ and Bufferboard are registered trademarks of Orange Micro. 


CIRCLE 166 ON READER SERVICE CARD 



















tive side, however, it’s quite compact— 
smaller than a breadbox and most loaves 
of bread—and feels quite solid. 

Like any other thermal printer, the 
STX-80 requires a special diet of treated 
paper to print, and it is mandatory the 
paper be fed from a roll. Unlike most 
roll-fed printers, however, the paper roll 
used with the STX-80 is not mounted on 
a spindle but instead lies inside a special 
chamber at the rear of the printer. Unlike 
many thermal papers, the paper the 
STX-80 uses is white (instead of silvery) 
and only belies its temperature sensitivi¬ 
ty with occasional blemishes and its too- 
slick feel. 

With no spindle to contend with, 
loading a roll of this paper is simple. 
You slide the free end that trails off the 
roll under the friction-feed platen, spin 
the platen to move the paper up past the 
printhead, then drop the rest of the paper 
roll inside the paper chamber. The paper 
on the roll has no sprocket holes on its 
edges to guide it through the machine, 
and it is not perforated into separate 
sheets. Neither is apparently necessary. 
During our tests the paper never skewed, 
and the rear edge of the STX-80’s top 
cover has molded plastic teeth that serve 
as a cutoff bar. 

Printouts on slippery and glossy paper 


with rough edges arid no fixed length are 
obviously from a cheap thermal printer 
and may not be presentable. However, 
once run through a Xerox copier, memos 
and program listing will be as profes¬ 
sional-looking and long-lasting as any 
made by a more expensive impact print¬ 
er. The STX-80’s thermal dots are more 

t The STX-80 is a 
r nonimpact thermal 
printer and was so 
quiet we couldn’t 
measure its 
contribution to the 
general chaos of the 
room. 

sharply defined than most impact dots, 
and the printed characters appear darker 
and denser than those made with most 
inexpensive impact matrix printers. 
Moreover, ASCII characters on the 
STX-80 are formed in a 5-by-9 dot 
matrix that allows for full descenders. 

Like the Banana, the STX-80 is 
essentially a minimalist printer. It has 
two type sizes and/or faces, a slightly 


skinnier than usual “normal” 11-pilch 
and enlarged 5.5 pitch. The enlarged 
control code (SO to those who speak 
ASCII) only remains in effect until the 
printer receives a carriage return com 
mand (CR). Enlarged printing can also 
be canceled before encountering a car¬ 
riage return by a special code (DC4). In 
other words, the STX-80 will only 
enlarge type one line at a time without 
being reinstructed to enlarge. This con 
dition should not be a problem unless 
you have already existing software that 
assumes enlarged characters remain in 
effect until canceled. 

The STX-80 handles graphics in two 
modes, 64 different block graphic char¬ 
acters or dot-addressable graphics using 
seven or eight of the nine dots in its print- 
head matrix, in columns 480 dots 
wide. 

Front panel controls on the STX-80 
include two square pushbuttons—ON 
LINE and LF—and two green LEDs— 
POWER and ON LINE. The platen knob 
on the right side allows manual paper 
positioning. 

A DIP switch in the bottom of the 
paper well allows selecting a form length 
of 11 or 12 inches (although there is no 
form-feed pushbutton, the STX-80 does 
recognize a form-feed software com- 


This Prescription 
Will save the life of 
your VISICALC ! 

— Don't Buy a New Machine to Run it On 

— Don’t Buy a New Spreadsheet Program 


BUY VISICALC 
ENHANCERS from 
SOLUTIONS 


"Saves me many hours, every time I run long reports" 

October 1983 Popular Computing 

"Sort does exactly what it promises" 

InfoWorkJ September 5, 1983 


SYMPTOM: Desperate need to sort the rows or 
columns of a VisiCalc spreadsheet 

®x: SORT™ from SOLUTIONS 

SYMPTOM: Bleary Eyes from trying to print a good 
looking report from VisiCalc 




REPORT™ from SOLUTIONS 


SORT 


T 


J 



» Sort the rows or columns of your VisiCalc 
spreadsheet 

► Formulas and values move with each row 
or column 

► Sort alphabetically or numerically 

► Sort in ascending or descending order 

► Use up to four additional keys to break 
ties or specify secondary sorts 


Both are Available for TRS-80 W Models 
1/11/12/16, III, Apple'" II +, HE, III and for the 
IBM PC tM and compatibles. 


REPORT 

► Print with variable width columns 

• Segment large spreadsheets into 
multipage reports 

» Repeat columns and rows and multipage 
reports 

»Eliminate unwanted columns 

• Align decimal points 

• Center or justify labels and values 

1 Add titles and page numbers to your 
report 

• Write reports to disk for later printing or 
transmission 


Solutions, Inc. 

13 State Street, Box 989, Montpelier, Vermont, 05602.Telephone (802)229-0368 


U Send me a Free Brochure 

PLEASE SEND ME THE FOLLOWING SOFTWARE 

□ SORT $89.00 □ REPORT $79.00 

□ Send me BOTH SORT and REPORT for $158.00 

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Card no_Exp. Date / 

Signature _* 

Name _ 

Address_ 

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VisiCalc® is a trademark of VisiCorp. TRS-80® is a trademark ol Tandy Corp. IBM PC im is a trademark ol IBM Corp Apple" is a Irademark ol Apple Computers, Inc. 

CIRCLE 170 ON READER SERVICE CARD 








































INTRODUCING 

■wildcard PLUS. 

THE COPYCARD THAT'S 
MORE THAN A COPYCAT. 



Manufacturers protect their software. 

WILDCARD PLUS protects yours. 

You have invested a lot of money in software for your 
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Rather than copying disks track by track, Wildcard Plus 
copies your total load programs right from the computer’s 
memory. This creates an accurate and undetectable copy of 
the original program. 

Now you can back up twice as much in half the time. 
Because Wildcard Plus doesn’t stop at 48K or even 64K, but 
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[please send_WILDCARD PLUS(S), $189.95 each. Total_”1 

| Please send_WILDCARD(S), $139.95 each. Total_| 

| Include $4.00 for shipping and handling. Outside continental U.S. add $10.00 
| for shipping and handling. New York Slate residents add applicable sales tax. 

[ □ Check enclosed □ Visa □ Master card 


Card No. Expires 

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In addition, back ups can be quickly booted with or 
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WILDCARD PLUS 
unlocks the potential of your Apple. 

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nmniPLUs J 


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The WILDCARD is offered for the purpose of enabling 
you to make archival copies only. Under the Copyright Law you, as the owner of a copy 
of a computer program, are entitled to make a new copy for archival purposes only and 
the WILDCARD will enable you to do so. The WILDCARD is offered for no other 
purpose and you are not permitted to utilize it for any other use, other than specified. 
Software is not copy protected. System requirements: Apple II, II Plus or Apple He 
and DOS 3.3. Franklin Ace also supported. 

Wildcard and Wildcard Plus are trademarks of East Side Software Co. 


CIRCLE 169 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


© 1983 linst Side Software < Jo. 



































































































































































































Now you can build a library of programs for your 
Apple' at a fraction of the usual cost 


Each issue of A+ Disk 
Magazine provides you 
with up to 12 programs for 
as little as $2.00 each. 


A¥ DISK MAGAZINE is making it 
easier than ever before to build a 
library of computer software for 
your Apple II Microcomputer. 
Because now you can save 34% on 
the programs you need to expand 
the use of your personal computer. 
Issue after issue, A+ DISK MAGA¬ 
ZINE gives you business and 
finance aids, utilities, subroutines, 
games, home and personal 
applications... all for as little as 


$2 per program. 

And when you consider that 
many of today’s most popular 
programs sell for $50, $60, $80 
and more, your savings can be 
enormous ... much more than the 
cost of your subscription to A+ DISK 
MAGAZINE. 

Along with your subscription to 
A+ DISK MAGAZINE, you’ll receive 


ANNOUNCING 


A LIBRARY OF SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FOR 


APPLE II & lie! 


COMPUTERS 
























up to 12 thoroughly-tested, ready- 
to-run programs and files on a 
floppy disk. Complete with compre¬ 
hensive, illustrated User Manual, 

Af DISK MAGAZINE is easy, 
efficient, and very economical. 

Here’s just a sampling of what 
you can expect in every issue: 

Programming tools: Create 
cross-reference listings for your 


UikniM, COHSOll, PRINTER or SERIAL) 


backup, copy, delete, un-delete 
or type files with simple menu 
commands... plus more. 

Data files: From tax tables, to 
population statistics, from dictio¬ 
naries to economic times series, 
A+ DISK MAGAZINE involves you 
as never before. 



SAVE $60.00 ON 


A LIBRARY OF SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FORLliilUCOMPUTERS 


Jt+DISK 


M 


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Send me 6 issues o! A+ Disk 
Magazine for just $119.00— 
34% off the full subscription 
price of $179.00. 


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I - ] I enclose $ _ 

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and VT add applicable sales tax.) 

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intures! Strategies! 
blligence and luck. 

iware 
5atyour 
i fraction of 

i 

i type listings into 
ith A+ DISK 
l)ii do is boot the 
jcompanying 
tins everything in 
*rstand terms. So 
n the programs as 
d your first issue 
ZINE. 

th this 
i Offer. 

.of 

Tjazine 

l°/o 


Mr./Mrs./Ms._ 
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8H005 


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Offer valid in U.S. and its possessions only. Please allow 30 to 
60 days for delivery oi first issue. 


do 80322 


Program Submissions 

Ifyou wish to submit a prog,ram Ibi 
inclusion in future issues, please 
write to: A+ DISK MAGAZ1N E, 

Attn: Editor, One Park Avenue— 
Dept. 732, New York, N.Y. 10016. 

Guarantee 

• All programs are fully tested and 
guaranteed to run. Damaged or 
faulty disks will be replaced at no 
charge. 

• If you wish to cancel a subscrip¬ 
tion, simply return the most recent 
disk in its sealed package and you 
will receive a full refund for this 
copy and all unmailed issues. 

Product Specifications 
Programs will run on Apple II 
computers using Apple DOS 3.3 and 
require a minimum of 64K. Most 
programs will be written in Apple¬ 
soft Basic—however some machine 
language code may be used. 

Most programs will be written 
to run on both monochrome and 
color displays; however, some games 
and utilities may be specifically 
developed for color displays. 

Programs and documentation 
are copyrighted by Ziff-Davis 
Publishing Company. All rights of 
reproduction in all forms and 
media strictly reserved. 

— ---- 


A LIBRARY OF SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FOR HiliHj COMPUTERS 


AHDISK 


M A G A Z I N 

MRIMIIR I! 




LOAN ANALYZER: TRANSPARENT AUTOMATIC BAR 

COMPUTES SORT: CHARTER: 

REPAYMENT DEMONSTRATION CONVERTS 

TERMS AND OF THE AllSTOF 

SCHEDULE SHELL/METZNER NUMBERS 

SORT INTO AN 

EFFECTIVE 
GRAPHIC 
HIDE AND SINK: 
EXCITING 
BATHE GAME 
ACTION 



kyNciition lew; 

toil Interest Rate: 12.580 5! 

5 Hears 

Salvaje Halite: 

Tw.tiwi t( ferrettisy: 18 tears 

125008.88 

Hwjinit Tux Sate: 

Parent Frequency: *! (M.V) 

33.888 V. 

Cast ef Cijitil: 

‘Press ?1 te resRecily, 12 ts SMflsae, F3. t» *tit« 

3,750 v 


Utilities and diagnostics: 

A+ DISK MAGAZINE shows you 
how to use your Apple to simulate 
a conversational terminal with 
function key control of disk or 
printer logging... print graphics, 
screen images on your printer... 


■ laTflp. r accept my subscription to A+ DISK MAGAZINE for 6 issues at 
the Special Introductory Price of just $119 (less than $20 per issue, as little as 
$2 per program). I save 34% off the full price of $179. 

Check one: □ I enclose $-(Residents ofCA, CO, CT, DC, FL,IL, 

MA, MI, MO,NJ, NY State, and VT add applicable sales tax.) 

□ Please bill me. 

Please charge to my credit card. □ American Express □ Visa □ MasterCard 
Credit Card No_Exp. Date-— . - . . 

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^JSH005 MAIL NO-RISK COUPON TODAY-AND SAVE 34%! | 

























































ANNOUNCING 



MAGAZINE 


Now you can build a Sibil 
Appleatafractic 



c ^ 

q '-dtrlCJ 


* oo 


§ °5p 


Each issue of A+ Disk 
Magazine provides you 
with up to 12 programs for 
as little as $2.00 each. 


A+ DISK MAGAZ 
easier than everb. 
library of compuj 
your Apple II Mio 
Because now you i 
the programs you 
the use of your pe 
Issue after issue, 
ZINE gives you bi 
finance aids, utilr 
games, home and] 
applications... al| 


00 “U 


CL 


W 


O r\o 


4^- 


CO 


CO 














































up to 12 thoroughly-tested, ready- 
to-run programs and files on a 
floppy disk. Complete with compre¬ 
hensive, illustrated User Manual, 

A+ DISK MAGAZINE is easy, 
efficient, and very economical. 

Here’s just a sampling of what 
you can expect in every issue: 

Programming tools: Create 
cross-reference listings for your 



BASIC programs. Convert 
MBASIC™ program files to 
CBASIC™ format or reverse. Use 
your text editor on your BASIC 
programs. Convert data between 
BASIC and VISICALC® formats. 

Business and finance aids: 

Compute loan payment tables. 
Calculate the Present Value and 
Internal Rate of Return for your 
investments. VISICALC templates 
for Real Estate, Lease/Purchase 
and Tax Shelter analysis. Create 
advanced pie, bar and line chart 
graphics. 

Home/personal applica¬ 
tions: Whether you need your 
own income tax return helper... 
a personal cash flow analyzer... 
a speed reading trainer... proven 
ways to maintain a mailing list... or 
SAT test preparation aids, A+ DISK 
MAGAZINE has it all. 



imim mmm 


PfflCH5.SE SPECIFICS!ION 


IOHS OF L0*N 

itHEF. HPISKllfiK 


Cod of Iqaiwwr.t: S 
(flawOI of Um> 

1538W.W fcfrecUiion Method: 

1 (U) 


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Salvage saki - 

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Kapginal Tax Sate 

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Pigwt Freeuoncg: 

Cost of Capital; 

9.758 i 

►Press FI to resFocify. F2 to swstiBM, F3. to w't« 



Utilities and diagnostics: 

A+ DISK MAGAZINE shows you 
how to use your Apple to simulate 
a conversational terminal with 
function key control of disk or 
printer logging... print graphics, 
screen images on your printer... 


backup, copy, delete, un-delete 
or type files with simple menu 
commands... plus more. 

Data files: From tax tables, to 
population statistics, from dictio¬ 
naries to economic times series, 
A+ DISK MAGAZINE involves you 
as never before. 



Games: Adventures! Strategies! 
Test your skill, intelligence and luck. 

The latest software 
developments at your 
fingertips for a fraction of 
the cost. 

There’s no need to type listings into 
you r computer. With A+ DISK 
MAGAZINE, all you do is boot the 
disk and go! The accompanying 
User Manual explains everything in 
clear, easy-to-understand terms. So 
you’ll be able to run the programs as 
soon as you receive your first issue 
Of A+ DISK MAGAZINE. 


Program Submissions 

If you wish to submit a program lot 
inclusion in future issues, please 
write to: A+ DISK MAGAZINE, 

Attn: Editor, One Park Avenue— 
Dept. 732, New York, N.Y. 10016. 
Guarantee 

• All programs are fully tested and 
guaranteed to run. Damaged or 
faulty disks will be replaced at no 
charge. 

• If you wish to cancel a subscrip¬ 
tion, simply return the most recent 
disk in its sealed package and you 
will receive a full refund for this 
copy and all unmailed issues. 

Product Specifications 
Programs will run on Apple II 
computers using Apple DOS 3.3 and 
require a minimum of 64K. Most 
programs will be written in Apple¬ 
soft Basic—however some machine 
language code may be used. 

Most programs will be written 
to run on both monochrome and 
color displays; however, some games 
and utilities may be specifically 
developed for color displays. 

Programs and documentation 
are copyrighted by Ziff-Davis 
Publishing Company. All rights of 
reproduction in all forms and 
media strictly reserved. 




A—DISK 

MAGAZINE 


Save $60 with this 
Introductory Offer. 
Get 6 issues of 
A+ Disk Magazine 
and save 34% 


LOAN ANALYZER: TRANSPARENT AUTOMATIC BAR 

COMPUTES SORT: CHARTER: 

REPAYMENT DEMONSTRATION CONVERTS 

TERMS AND OF THE AUSTOF 

SCHEDULE SHELL/METZNER NUMBERS 

SORT INTO AN 

EFFECTIVE 
GRAPHIC 
HIDE AND SINK: 
EXCITING 
BATTLE GAME 
s. ACTION 



A DISK 

MAGAZINE 

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mand), automatic line-feed with carriage 
return, 7-or 8-bit data format, and one of 
eight international character sets. 
Straight from its box, these switches 
were set so that the STX-80 worked per¬ 
fectly with our Apple He. 

The manual we received, marked 
“preliminary,” is a scant 24 half-sized 
pages long. It is sparsely written but con¬ 
tains sufficient information to hook up 
and operate the machine. The contents 
are a strange mixture of detail (it shows 
waveforms of control timing signals in 
case you want to haul out your oscillo¬ 
scope and mkke sure everything is all 
right) and nebulous, nearly meaningless 
generalities (such as an explanation of 
the printer’s “structure”—it has me¬ 
chanical parts, electronic parts and a 
power supply). 

Note that the STX-80 has a brother, 
the STX-80T. They differ only in the 
block graphic characters stored in ROM. 
The STX-80 has symbols (clubs, hearts, 
diamonds, spades, and so forth) and 
lines, while the “T” features various 
shapes of blocks. 

Conclusion 

If you go looking for conclusions, 
you’ll be disappointed. We did not rate 
the machines, because each one excels in 
some areas and fails in others. As you 


might expect, the least expensive print- 

Leading Edge Products, 

ers have the fewest features. In other 

Inc. 

words, you’ll have to ask yourself how 

225 Turnpike Street 

much boldface printing and high speed 

Canton, MA 02021 

are worth. Certainly the Apple printer is 

1-800-343-6833 

the most compatible and most conve- 

617-828-8150 

nient. But, again, that is for you to 

Price for Banana: $249 

decide. 

Price for Prowriter: $495 

We’ve done the easy part. We tested 

CIRCLE 756 ON READER 

the machines and found out what they 

SERVICE CARD 

can do. The hard job—choosing a print- 


er—is yours. + 

Mannesmann-Talley Corp. 


8301 South 180th Street 

Product Information 

Kent, WA 98032 


(206) 251-5500 

Apple Computer, Inc. 

Price for Spirit: $399 

10260 Bandley Drive 

CIRCLE 757 ON READER 

Cupertino, CA 95014 

SERVICE CARD 

(408) 996-1010 


Price for the Apple dot 


matrix: $695 

Star Micronics 

CIRCLE 754 ON READER 

P.O. Box 612186 

SERVICE CARD 

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, 


TX 75261 

Epson America, Inc. 

or 2803 E. 12th Street 

3415 Kashiwa Street 

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, 

Torrance, CA 90505 

TX 75261 

(213) 539-9140 

(214) 456-0052 

Price for RX-80: $494 

Price for Gemini lOx: $399 

CIRCLE 755 ON READER 

CIRCLE 758 ON READER 

SERVICE CARD 

SERVICE CARD 


The computer-age storybook for kids! 


KATIE 
AND THE 
COMPUTER 

By Fred D’Ignazio 
Illustrated by Stan Gilliam 



("creative computing press 

I Dept. NE5H, 39 East Hanover Avenue 
I Morris Plains, NJ 07950 

I Please send me _ Katie and the 

I Computer at $8.95* plus $2.00 postage and 
I handling each. Outside USA add $3.00 per 
| order. #12A 

j □ PAYMENT ENCLOSED $_ 

*Residents of CA, NJ and NY State add 
applicable sales tax. 

| □ CHARGE MY: 

□ American Express 
n □ MasterCard □ Visa 


This wonderful storybook 
teaches young children how a 
microcomputer works. Katie 
ends up inside her dad's new 
micro...and has an adventure 
with Colonel Byte and the other 
characters who make a com¬ 
puter work. Her journey follows 
the path of a computer com¬ 
mand; her experiences are 
technically accurate yet easily 


understandable, right down to 
her encounters with a program 
bug. Additional material is in¬ 
cluded to help you relate the 
story to actual working parts of 
the computer. With truly ex¬ 
ceptional color illustrations, 
this is an excellent first com¬ 
puter book for youngsters. 
Hardcover 
11" x SVz”, illustrated. 


Card No_ 

Exp. Date_ 

Signature_ 

Mr. 

Mrs. 

Ms_ 

(please print full name) 

Address_ 

Apt_ 

City_ 

State_ 

Zip_ 

□ Send me a FREE Creative Computing 
Catalog. 


For faster service, 

PHONE TOLL FREE: 800-631-8112 

fln NJ only: 201-540-0445) 

Also available at your local bookstore or computer store. 


1924 A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


















































SAVE UP TO 40% 

TOLL FREE ORDER LINE 


AVANT-GARDE CREATIONS 

HIRES Computer 

Golf.$21.00 

HIRES Computer 

Golf 2.25.00 

Jump Jet.21.00 

BEAGLE BROTHERS 

Alpha Plot.$28.00 

Aplle Mechanic.21.00 

Beagle Bag.21.00 

DOS Boss .20.00 

Double Take.25.00 

Flex Text.21.00 

Frame Up.21.00 

Pronto DOS.21.00 

Tip Disk #1.15.00 

Typefaces.15.00 

Utility City.21.00 

BRODERBUND 

AE.$25.00 

Arcade Machine.42.00 

Bank Street Writer — 48.00 

Choplifter .25.00 

Gumball.21.00 

Lode Runner.25.00 

Maze Machine.42.00 

Midnight Magic.25.00 

Questron.32.00 

Sea Fox .21.00 

Serpentine.25.00 

Spare Change .25.00 

Star Blazer.23.00 

BUDGECO 

Pinball Construction 

Set.$28.00 

Raster Blaster.21.00 

CALIFORNIA PACIFIC 

Ultima .$28.00 

CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE 

The Home 

Accountant.$53.00 

DATAMOST 

Aztec .$28.00 

Bilestoad.28.00 

Casino.28.00 

Conquering Worlds— 21.00 

Mating Zones.21.00 

Missing Ring.21.00 

Pig Pen.21.00 

Snack Attack.21.00 

Swashbuckler.25.00 

Thief.21.00 

DATASOFT 

Canyon Climber.$21.00 

Micropainter.25.00 

Zaxxon.28.00 

DATA TREK 

Maze Craze.$28.00 

EDU-WARE 

Algebra 1-4.$28.00 

Algebra 5&6.35.00 

Compu-Read.21.00 

Decimals..35.00 

Fractions.35.00 

Prisoner 2.25.00 

Rendezvous .28.00 

EPYX 

Crush, Crumble & 

Chomp.$21.00 

Hellfire Warrior.28.00 

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Sheila.$20.00 

Super Taxman 2.20.00 

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Go.$25.00 

ORCA/M.70.00 

Sargon II.25.00 


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Deadline .$35.00 

Starcross.28.00 

Suspended.35.00 

The Witness.35.00 

Zork I, II, & III .ea. 28.00 

INTELLIGENT STATEMENTS 

Ken Uston’s Professional 
Blackjack .$49.00 

LIGHTNING SOFTWARE 

Master Type.$28.00 

MICROLAB 

Miner 2049er.$28.00 

MICROSOFT 

Adventure.$21.00 

Olympic Decathalon ... 21.00 
Typing Tutor II.20.00 

MUSE 

Castle Wolfenstein ... $21.00 

Caverns of Freitag.21.00 

Robot War.28.00 

Three Mile Island.28.00 

Titan Empire.28.00 

ODESTA 

Checkers.$35.00 

Chess 7.0 .49.00 

Odin .35.00 

OMEGA MICROWAVE 

Inspector.$45.00 

Locksmith 4.1 .75.00 

Night Falls.21.00 

Watson.35.00 

ORIGIN SYSTEMS 

Exodus: Ultima III_$40.00 

QUALITY SOFTWARE 

Ali Baba.$25.00 

Bag of Tricks.35.00 

Beneath Apple Manor . 21.00 
Fastgammon.18.00 

SENSIBLE SOFTWARE 

Sensible Speller_$100.00 

Super Disk Copy.21.00 

PENGUIN SOFTWARE 

Complete Graphics 

System.$49.00 

Coveted Mirror.15.00 

Crime Wave .15.00 

Graphics Magician_45.00 

Minit Man.15.00 

Pensate.15.00 

Pie Man.15.00 

(The) Quest .15.00 

Short Cuts.35.00 

Special Effects.28.00 

Spy’s Demise.15.00 

The Spy Strikes Back.. 15.00 

Thunderbombs.15.00 

Transylvania.15.00 


No Hidden Charges 
No Charge for Credit Cards 
No Shipping Delay for Personal Checks 



SIERRA ON-LINE 

Adv. #1 Mission 

Asteroid.$15.00 

Adv. #2 Mystery 

House.18.00 

Adv. #3 Wizard & 

The Princess.25.00 

Adv. #4 Ulysses.25.00 

Adv. #5 Time Zone_70.00 

Adv. #6 Dark Crystal .. 28.00 

Apple Cider Spider_21.00 

Bop-A-Bet.21.00 

Cannonball Blitz.25.00 

Crossfire .21.00 

Dragon’s Keep.21.00 

Frogger.25.00 

Jawbreaker (new).21.00 

Learning w/Leeper_25.00 

Marauder.25.00 

Sammy Lightfoot.21.00 

Softporn Adventure ... 21.00 

Threshold .20.00 

Troll’s Tale .21.00 

Ultima II .42.00 

The Artist .60.00 

Screenwriter II.99.00 

General Manager.175.00 


HARDWARE 

DEALS 

MODEMS 

Apple Cat II ..$299.00 
Micromodem II 265.00 
Micromodem w/term- 

inal prog.295.00 

212 Apple Cat . 580.00 

MONITORS 

Amdek 

Color I .$299.00 

Color II RGB ... 599.00 
Color III RGB ..399.00 
RGB Card .149.00 

USI 

Pi 1 9" Green .$119.00 
Pi2 12” Green . 149.00 
Pi3 12” Amber. 159.00 
Pi4 9" Amber.. 129.00 
Color 1400 .... 299.00 

PRINTERS 

C. Itoh 

GX-100.$229.00 

Prowriter.399.00 

Okidata 

Microline 80 ... 349.00 
Microline 82A . 449.00 
Microline 92 ... 549.00 


SILICON VALLEY 
SYSTEMS 

Word Handler/List Handler 
package.$149.00 

SIRIUS 

Critical Mass.$28.00 

Epoch.25.00 

Gorgon.28.00 

Repton.28.00 

Plasmania.25.00 

Type Attack .28.00 

Wayout.28.00 

SIR-TECH 

Galactic Attack.$21.00 

Knight of Diamonds ... 25.00 
Legacy of Uylgamyn .. 29.00 

Police Artist .25.00 

Star Maze.25.00 

Wizardry.35.00 

SOFT IMAGES 

Blackjack Strategy ... $49.00 

Pandemonium.28.00 

Single’s Night at 
Molly’s.21.00 

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING 

PFS: File.$95.00 

PFS: Graph.95.00 

PFS: Report.95.00 

SPINNAKER 

Delta Drawing .$35.00 

Face Maker.25.00 

Hey Diddle, Diddle .... 21.00 

Kindercomp.21.00 

Most Amazing Thing .. 28.00 

Rhymes & Riddles_21.00 

Snooper Troops 

1 & 2 ea.32.00 

Story Machine.25.00 

STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS 

Bomb Alley.$42.00 

. 42.00 
. 28.00 


Computer Ambush 
Computer Baseball., 


Computer Quarterback 28.00 


Cosmic Balance 
Cosmic Balance II .. 
Galactic Adventures. 
Geopolitique 1990 .. 

Germany 1985. 

Knights of the Desert 
North Atlantic '86 ... 

RDF ’85. 

Tigers in the Snow .. 
Warp Factor. 


28.00 
28.00 
42.00 
42.00 
42.00 
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42.00 
25.00 
28.00 
28.00 

SUB-LOGIC 

Flight Simulator.$25.00 

Pinball: Night Mission . 21.00 

Road Block.21.00 

Saturn Navigator.25.00 

Space Vikings .35.00 


RISING SUN SOFTWARE 
4200 PARK BLVD. 

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94602 
(415) 482-3391 

Ordering Information: We’ll accept any form of payment—cash, personal check, money order, VISA/ 
MasterCard, or C.O.D. Send cash at your own risk. Add $2.00 for UPS shipping; $3.00 for Blue Label Air. 
California residents add applicable sales tax. ALL orders shipped same day received. If we are out of stock 
on a particular item we will include a special bonus with your order when shipped. 


CALL TOLL FREE 24 HOURS (ORDERS ONLY) 

(800) 227-1617, ext. 114 (Outside California) 
(800) 772-3545, ext. 114 (Inside California) 




SYNERGISTIC 

Atlantis.$28.00 

Crisis Mountain.25.00 

Bolo.25.00 

G.P.L.E.49.00 

Microbe.32.00 

Odyssey.21.00 

SYDNEY DATA PRODUCTS 

Evolution.$28.00 

ULTRASOFT 

Mask of the Sun.$28.00 

Serpent’s Star .28.00 

VISICORP 

VtsiCalc 3.3.$175.00 

VisiCalc lie.175.00 

VisiDex.175.00 

VisiFile.175.00 

VisiLink .175.00 

Vi si Plot.150.00 

Visi Schedule.210.00 

VisiTerm .75.00 

VisiTrend/Plot. 225.00 

HARDWARE 

JOYSTICKS AND PADDLES 

Hayes Mach II.$32.00 

Hayes Mach lie.35.00 

Hayes Mach III .40.00 

Hayes Mach llle.44.00 

Kraft Joystick.45.00 

Kraft Paddles.35.00 

Sirius Joyport.36.00 

TG Joystick.42.00 

TG Paddles.29.00 

TG Trackball.48.00 

MISCELLANEOUS HARDWARE 

Grappler +.$125.00 

16K Ram.75.00 

SoftCard. 275.00 

System Saver.65.00 

BLANK DISCS (box of 10) 

Elephant 

(SS/SD).$22.00 

(SS/DD).25.00 

Maxell (SS/DD).30.00 

Verbatim 

(SS/SD).25.00 

(SS/DD).28.00 

Diskette File Box 
(holds 60). 20.00 

DISK DRIVES 

Rana Elite 1 .$289.00 

w/controller. 389.00 

Rana Elite 2 .479.00 

w/controller. 559.00 

Rana Elite 3 .629.00 

w/controller.699.00 

VIDEX 

Videoterm.$239.00 

Ultraterm. 279.00 

ADVANCED LOGIC SYSTEMS 

CP/M Card.$299.00 

Dispatcher.104.00 

Z-Card II.129.00 

OTHER ITEMS 

Gibson Light Pen_$249.00 

Koala Graphics Tablet. 99.00 
S.A.M.89.00 


CIRCLE 197 ON READER SERVICE CARD 










































































































































































































































PRODUCT NEWS 



ADS-8211 Graf ax Spooler!64, parallel printer interface from Antex Data Systems. 


► HARDWARE 

Soundtrap Stretch 

A 26-inch wide acoustical 
printer housing that reduces 
noise to an average of 
44dBA level for popular 
136-column dot matrix and 
small daisywheel printers. 
Inside dimensions of the 
housing are 26 inches 
across by 17 inches deep. 

The Soundtrap Stretch 
features a “peel out” slot 
for bottom feed printers 
and new louvers in the 
back panel for ventilation. 
An extra option package 
includes electrical power- 
surge protection outlets, a 
cooling fan, and a pilot 
light on/off switch. 

The housing reduces 
noise from office printers, 
including: Apple Letter 
Quality, Brother HR-15, 

C. Itoh Starwriter, Epson 
MX 100, Mannesmann 
Tally MT 160/180, NEC, 
Okidata 83A, Qume Sprint 
11, Smith Corona, Transtar 
315 Color Printer, and To¬ 
shiba TH 2100 H/G. (List 
Price: $189. Option pack¬ 
age $49) 


Trace Systems, Inc. 

1928 Old Middlefield Way 
Mountain View, CA 94043 
(800) 248-7223, 

(415) 964-3115 

CIRCLE 792 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


ADS-8211 Grafax 
SPOOLER/64 

A parallel printer interface 
with 64K RAM buffer and 
an 8039 microprocessor. 
The internal RAM can hold 
approximately 20 pages of 
text, freeing the user’s sys¬ 
tem for other applications. 
The ADS-8211 includes 


a screen dump feature, 
holding a screen’s display 
in memory for hard copy 
reproduction. It will copy 
and dump “HIRES’’ 
graphics screens as well as 
text. Graphic dumps can be 
of normal or inverse video, 
can be straight or rotated 
90 degrees, and can be 
printed in either of two 
sizes. 

The device includes a 
six-foot length of flat cable 
with a 36-pin Centronics- 
type parallel connector. 
(List Price: $229) 

Antex Data Systems 


2630 California St. 
Mountain View, CA 94043 
(415) 941-7914 

CIRCLE 791 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


SuperSprite 

A plug-in graphics board 
allowing a user to program 
several animated objects on 
a display simultaneously. 
The board synchronizes 
background graphics, ani¬ 
mated “sprite’’ graphics 
(characters capable of inde¬ 
pendent movement), sound 
effects and synthesized 
speech. Each sprite occu¬ 
pies space on a separate 
video plane, allowing the 
characters to move over 
and past each other. 

The SuperSprite board 
offers 16 colors for sprites 
and background patterns, 
and additional colors can 
be created by mixing two 
or more standard colors. 

To add actual speech, the 
board incorporates the 
ECHO II speech synthesiz¬ 
er, providing a user’s sys¬ 
tem with an unlimited vo¬ 
cabulary from typed input. 

Software offered with 
the SuperSprite board in¬ 
cludes Ampersprite, a pro¬ 
gramming language for use 
with Applesoft, allowing 
the user to assemble sprites 
of various sizes, shapes, 



194 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 




















































and colors, to sequence 
their movements, and to 
program sound. Amper- 
sprite allows up to 32 dif¬ 
ferent sprites to move on a 
display at the same time. 
Sound generation is inde¬ 
pendent of sprite operation, 
and can be programmed 
with simple commands to 
synchronize with the ani¬ 
mation without pause for 
sound to occur. (List Price: 
$395) 

Synetix, Inc. 

15050 N.E. 95th 
Redmond, WA 98052 
(800) 426-7412 
(206) 881-7110 

CIRCLE 790 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Half Track Disk Drive 

A 5 l A inch floppy disk 
drive that provides 160K 
bytes of dual density stor¬ 
age. The drive is only one- 
half the height of an Apple 
disk drive. 

The Half Track Disk 
Drive features half high de¬ 
sign, contemporary slim¬ 
line styling, cooling lou¬ 
vers, auto-eject of diskette 
for operator convenience, a 
quick-release controller ca¬ 
ble, and 12 millisecond 
head access time. 

The drive is rated at 
8000 MTBF and comes 
complete with filer DOS 


3.3, controller, and cable. 
(List Price: $399.95) 
Requires: Apple II, Apple 
II + , Apple lie, DOS 3.2 or 

3.3. 

Wholesale Technology, 

Inc. 

1530 South Sinclair 
Anaheim, CA 92806 
(714) 978-9820 

CIRCLE 793 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Bufferboard 

A print buffer for the Ap¬ 
ple II and Apple III com¬ 
puters that will hold up to 
64K of memory and feed it 
to the printer at its own 
rate. This frees the com¬ 
puter for other uses while 
the printer is working. 

The Bufferboard comes 
with 16K memory stan¬ 
dard, which holds about 
five pages of text, and can 
be expanded to 32K or 
64K. With the full 64K in¬ 
stalled the Bufferboard 
stores up to 20 pages of 
text. 

The Bufferboard comes 
with Orange Micro’s Inter¬ 
face Docking System. This 
eliminates the need for a 
new interface; the Buffer- 
board fits into the Apple 
and “docks” onto all pop¬ 
ular parallel printer inter¬ 
faces, including the Grap- 
pler/GrapplerH- interfaces, 


Epson interface, and the 
Apple printer interface. 

All Bufferboard features 
are controlled by an on¬ 
board micro-controller. A 
built-in self-test automati¬ 
cally reads the number of 
memory chips installed 
while testing the board’s 
components. The Buffer- 
board’s automatic memory 
configuration eliminates the 
need to change switches 
and settings when addition¬ 
al memory chips are in¬ 
stalled. The Bufferboard 
comes with its own inter¬ 
face docking cable and 
manual. (List Price: Not 
available.) 

Requires: Not available. 
Orange Micro, Inc. 

1400 N. Lake view Ave. 
Anaheim, CA. 92807 
(714) 779-2772 

CIRCLE 789 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


► SOFTWARE 

Geopolitique 1990 

A new game that simulates 
international diplomacy and 
military confrontations. 

The player assumes the 
role of a President of the 
United States in the 1990’s 
caught up in a power strug¬ 
gle with the Soviet Union 
and facing an economically 


troubled world. 

Geopolitique has two 
phases, the diplomatic 
phase and the military 
phase. “Geopol” is a 
peaceful struggle for world 
domination between the 
U.S. and the Soviet Union. 
Raw materials, military al¬ 
liances, capital, and eco¬ 
nomic concessions are all 
traded. The player’s politi¬ 
cal savvy in international 
haggling will determine 
whether dominance can be 
gained without a shot being 
fired. 

The “Geowar” phase 
simulates conventional 
warfare and has realistic 
features such as air strikes, 
amphibious landings, air 
superiority, and terrain 
considerations. 

There are seven scenar¬ 
ios a player can choose 
from, ranging from today’s 
volatile global situation to 
a number of hypothetical 
settings. (List Price: 
$39.95) 

Requires: 48K, Apple II, 
Apple II + , Apple lie, or 
Apple IH, one disk drive. 
Strategic Simulations, Inc. 
883 Stierlin Rd., Bldg. A- 
200 

Mountain View, CA 94043 
(415) 964-1353 

CIRCLE 788 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Apple-IBM PC File 
Transfer Program 

A new system allowing 
transfer of files from the 
Apple to the IBM PC and 
XT. The product includes a 
communications program 
for the IBM PC and an 
adapter that enables the 
two systems to connect. 

The program contains sev¬ 
eral utilities that assist in 
program conversion and 
help prepare files for edit¬ 
ing. 

The Apple-IBM PC File 

A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M95 





























Transfer Program supports 
transfer of random files, 
text files, data files, binary 
files, and high level lan¬ 
guage programs such as 
BASIC, Pascal, Fortran, 
and Cobol. The program 
also supports VisiCalc elec¬ 
tronic spreadsheet data, 
word processor files, CP/ 
M, and more. 

File concatenation is 
provided as well as the 
ability to send files of any 
length. Supported baud 
rates are 110, 150, 300, 
600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 
and 9600. The user’s man¬ 
ual contains tips on pro¬ 
gram conversion. (List 
Price: $94.95) 

Requires: 64K, Apple II, 
Apple II + , or Apple lie, 
with Apple serial card, one 
disk drive, DOS 3.3, IBM 
PC, or XT, one disk drive, 
MS or PC-DOS. 

Personal Computer 
Products 

1400 Coleman Ave., 

Suite C-18 

Santa Clara, CA 95050 
(408) 988-0164 

CIRCLE 787 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Navette 

A software pattern design 
tool for handweavers. Nav¬ 
ette allows the user to cre¬ 
ate warp and weft draw¬ 
downs which can be stored 
on diskette and combined 
to produce new and unusu¬ 
al block patterns. In the 
program’s analysis mode, 
the user can edit a pattern 
and its threading, treadling, 
and tie-up are produced au¬ 
tomatically. 

Navette uses high reso¬ 
lution graphics permitting 
16 harness patterns with 
warp repeats to 66 threads 
and weft repeats to 48 
picks. Two pattern display 
sizes are available: 140 x 
96 inches and 70 x 48 

196 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 



PRODUCT NEWS 


inches. The software’s col¬ 
or-effect capability means 
that individual warp and 
weft threads may be desig¬ 
nated as light or dark, sig¬ 
nificantly increasing pattern 
possibilities. 

Combined with a print¬ 
er, Navette can produce 
full pattern drawdowns 
simulating tight or open 
weave effects. Any graph¬ 
ics character may be used 
to represent dark threads in 
the drawdown printout. 

(List Price: $39.95) 
Requires: 64K, Apple II, 
Apple lie, one disk drive, 
printer. 

Opcode Software 
1909‘/2 Vine St. 

Berkeley, CA 94709 
(415) 525-6997 

CIRCLE 786 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


CodeWriter 

Software that allows users 
to design unique applica¬ 
tion programs without 
knowledge of computer 
programming. A user can 
write a program by simply 
typing the screen layout 
form and the calculations 
onto the computer’s screen 
in plain English. CodeWrit¬ 
er automatically translates 
that plain English and 
writes the computer-lan¬ 
guage “code” which actu¬ 
ally does the work in the 
computer. 

The program generates 
software applications that 
use the computational pow¬ 
er of the computer as well 
as its ability to store, orga¬ 
nize, sort, calculate, and 
search collections of data. 
Applications including pay¬ 
ables and receivables, sales 
analysis, customer and per¬ 
sonnel files, mailing lists, 
invoicing, inventory and 
production tracking, order 
entry, and many others can 
be developed. 


Once the application is 
produced, CodeWriter it¬ 
self is put aside and the 
new application program is 
used. When a new applica¬ 
tion program is needed, the 
CodeWriter disk can be 
brought out again to write 
it. The software can also 
be used to modify pro¬ 
grams originally generated 
with it. 

CodeWriter is self¬ 
prompting and rejects im¬ 
proper or illogical input, 
giving the user a new 
chance to enter the proper 
information. (List Price: 
$399) 

Requires: 64K, Apple II + 
or Apple lie, 2 disk drives. 
Dynatech MicroSoftware, 
Inc. 

7847 N. Caldwell Ave. 
Niles, IL 60648 
(800) 621-4109, 

(312) 470-0700 

CIRCLE 785 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Automated Mental Health 
Systems 

A microcomputer-based of¬ 
fice management system 
designed for mental health 
practitioners, including 
psychiatrists, psycholo¬ 
gists, and psychiatric social 
workers. The program au¬ 
tomates the business as¬ 
pects of a mental health 
practice by maintaining cli¬ 
ent history and performing 
billing tasks. 

A user can maintain in¬ 
formation on 225 active ac¬ 
counts on the system that 
can be used in private of¬ 
fices, clinics, or hospitals. 
Features include custom¬ 
ized service descriptions, 
posting of services, ac¬ 
count history recall, ac¬ 
count billing, and genera¬ 
tion of printed reports. A 
billing option that uses 
standard American Medical 
Association insurance 


forms is available. 

The program is pass¬ 
word protected and pro¬ 
vides hard copy of ledger 
data in concise formats 
with full-year financial re¬ 
porting capability. (List 
Price: $695) 

Requires: 48K, Apple H, 
Apple II + , or Apple He, 
two disk drives, monitor, 
80 column printer. 
Medical Office Systems 
615 S. Frederick Ave., 
Suite 308 

Gaithersburg, MD 20877 
(301) 840-0440 

CIRCLE 784 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


GradeCalc 

A grade and attendance 
management software 
package designed to work 
well with any teacher’s ex¬ 
isting grade format. 

Users can keep all raw 
grades and assignment in¬ 
formation on file. The file 
can average grades using a 
variety of methods ranging 
from percentage scores to 
letter grades. In addition to 
averaging, numerous re¬ 
ports can be generated, in¬ 
cluding a cumulative listing 
of missing assignments, 
grade totals, averages, 
grade book listings, and as¬ 
signment summaries. 

GradeCalc can also 
manage attendance records. 
Reports include cumulative 
totals of all attendance 
records and problem re¬ 
ports based on excessive 
absences or other prob¬ 
lems. (List Price: $29.95) 
Requires: 32K, Apple II, 
Apple II + , or Apple He, 
bne disk drive. 

Tamarack Software, Inc. 
Water St. 

Darby, MT 59829 
(406) 821-4595 

CIRCLE 783 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 




































Mineral Cave 

An educational adventure 
game for elementary 
through high school stu¬ 
dents that provides practice 
in identifying various min¬ 
erals using scientific testing 
procedures. 

The player becomes an 
adventurer who, armed 
with a sword and carrying 
a sack of gold pieces, goes 
off to explore a cave. It is 
the adventurer’s mission to 
travel through the cavern 
and correctly identify 10 
different minerals, includ¬ 
ing malachite, azurite, to¬ 
paz, feldspar, and others. 

A key of properties gives 
the explorer clues about 
what each mineral is like. 
Mineral Cave also calls on 
players to use mapping 
skills during their trek. 

(List Price: $34.95) 
Requires: 48K, Apple II + 
or Apple lie, one disk 
drive. 

Teck Associates 
P.O. Box 8732 
White Bear Lake, MN 
55110 

(612) 429-5570 

CIRCLE 782 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Lode Runner 

Software that offers users 
150 different game screens 
and a generator for creating 
original games. 

Each of Lode Runner s 
150 game screens features 
its own unique puzzles and 
challenges. Each level re¬ 
quires strategic problem 
solving and quick thinking 
in addition to lightning fast 
reflexes. A game generator 
lets users, unfamiliar with 
programming, design and 
save their own game 
screens. (List Price: 

$34.95) 

Requires: 48K, Apple II 
with Applesoft , Apple II + , 


or Apple He. 
Broderbund Software 
1938 Fourth St. 

San Rafael, CA 94901 
(415) 456-6424 

CIRCLE 781 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Robographics CAD-1 

A computer aided drafting 
and design system that 
produces scaled, technical 
drawings and custom 
graphics. Designers, illus¬ 
trators, educators, and oth¬ 
er business professionals 
can use this system to cre¬ 
ate building plans, mechan¬ 
ical drawings, schematics, 
flowcharts, and business 
graphics. 

The CAD-1 uses a high 
precision hand-held con¬ 
troller to draw lines, cir¬ 
cles, arcs, and tangents to 
exact dimensions. Once 
completed, commonly used 
symbols and finished draw¬ 
ings are stored on library 
diskettes, and can be dis¬ 
played in miniature for 
easy recognition and reuse 
through a graphic index 
system. 

For professional quality 
output from the CAD-1 
system, two Robographics 
drafting plotters are avail- 
albe to produce line-perfect 
drawings of up to 22 x 34 
inches. For proof copy, 
any dot matrix printer with 
graphics dump capability 
can be used. (List Price: 
$1,095) 

Requires: 64K, Apple II + 
or Apple He, two disk 
drives. 

Chessell-Robocom 

Corporation 

125 Pheasant Run, 

Suite 2B 

Newtown, PA 18940 
(215) 968-4422 

CIRCLE 780 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Fast Point Pen 

A light pen and controller 
that can be used for cursor 
control and menu picking 
applications as well as low- 
resolution graphics tasks. 
Applications can be accom¬ 
plished with software peaks 
at memory locations, and 
the pen is adaptable to ex¬ 
isting software and new 
programs. 

The Fast Point pen 
comes supplied with a con¬ 
troller card intended for 
slot 5 on the mother board, 
and a small extension 
board which plugs into IC 
sockets which normally 
house video multiplexer 
IC’s. Those IC’s plug into 
the extension board. 

The light pen has a 
touch-sensitive switch 
which generates a signal 
when the tip is placed 
against an unblanked spot 
on the CRT. Minimum 


sensitivity is 7 FL spot 
brightness. (List Price: 
$240) 

Requires: Apple II + . 
HEI, Inc. 

1495 Steiger Lake La. 
Victoria, MN 55386 

CIRCLE 779 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Decimals 

An interactive software 
program designed to help 
elementary through high 
school students understand 
and use fractions. The pro¬ 
gram’s emphasis is on ap¬ 
plying mathematical con¬ 
cepts to real life situations, 
not on rote recall of facts. 

The eight topics covered 
in Decimals each contain 
two programs. The “A” 
programs let the student 
give the computer prob¬ 
lems to solve, and then 
presents practice problems 
given by the computer. 



A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M97 































PRODUCT NEWS 


The “B” programs are en¬ 
richment extensions of the 
concepts covered in the 
“A” programs, often pre¬ 
sented in game format. The 
final “B” program is a re¬ 
view test for the entire se¬ 
ries. (List Price: $120) 
Requires: 48K, Apple II + , 
Apple lie, one disk drive. 
Quality Educational De¬ 
signs 

P.O. Box 12486 
Portland, OR 97212 
(503) 287-8137 

CIRCLE 778 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Grappler* 

A universal graphics inter¬ 
face which works with 
most popular printers. It 
combines on-board firm¬ 
ware for Apple HI-RES 
graphics with many new 
features, including an on¬ 
board dip switch for printer 
selection. There are 23 
software commands avail¬ 
able through the keyboard 
or user program. 

The Grappled is com¬ 
patible with the following 
printers: Anadex, Apple 
Dot Matrix, Centronics, C. 
Itoh Prowriter, Epson Se¬ 
ries, NEC 8023, Okidata 
Series, PMC DMP-85, Star 
Gemini Series, and future 
printers. The interface al¬ 
lows all color features to 
be accessed when using the 
Prism 80 or 132 printers. 
The interface is also com¬ 
patible with Apple hard¬ 
ware and with Pascal, CP/ 
M, and Logo. 

Simple control com¬ 
mands enable the Grap¬ 
pled to print graphics in- 
versed, centered, double¬ 
sized, and rotated 90 de¬ 
grees. Block graphic capa¬ 
bility is available on the 
Epson Series, Okidata Se¬ 
ries, and Star Gemini Se¬ 
ries. Text commands in¬ 
clude screen dumps, setting 
196 ◄ A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


of margins and page 
lengths, auto-skip-over per¬ 
foration, and word wrap¬ 
around with breakpoint at 
the nearest space. No soft¬ 
ware is needed to execute 
these commands. (List 
Price: $175) 

Requires: Apple H, Apple 
II + , or Apple lie, printer. 
Orange Micro, Inc. 

1400 N. Lake view 
Anaheim, CA 92807 
(714) 779-2772 

CIRCLE 777 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Amper-Magic 

Software that allows users, 
with no knowledge of ma¬ 
chine language, to add new 
commands to Applesoft 
BASIC. The menu-driven 
utility uses the ampersand 
function to access any 
number of machine lan¬ 
guage routines without 
knowing their addresses. 
The BASIC program can 
then pass variables back 
and forth to the routines. 

No pokes or peek are re¬ 
quired. 

Amper-Magic will attach 
the routines with names of 
the user’s choice, and the 
program can be edited 
without regard to ad¬ 
dresses. There is no inter¬ 
ference with DOS, page 
zero, or the “scratchpad” 
area at hex 300. The new 
commands become part of 
the BASIC program. There 
is no need for separate 
Bload instructions. 

Amper-Magic Vol. 1 of¬ 
fers 23 machine language 
routines. The user can also 
add original, relocatable 
routines from disk or copy 
them in directly from a 
decimal or hex listing. 
Amper-Magic Vol. 2 con¬ 
tains 27 additional com¬ 
mands. (List Price: Vol. 1 
$75, Vol. II $35) 

Requires: 48K, Apple II 


with Applesoft, Apple II + , 
Apple He, one disk drive. 
Anthro-Digital, Inc. 

P.O. Box 1385 
Pittsfield, MA 01202 
(413) 448-8278 

CIRCLE 775 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Net-Works II 

An electronic bulletin 
board for business, home, 
or hobby. Users can send 
messages to individuals, 
distribute memos to local 
and remote office loca¬ 
tions, and call in for mes¬ 
sages 24 hours a day. 

The software automati¬ 
cally answers and records 
each phone call and asks 
for the caller’s password or 
assigns a password to a 
first-time caller. The Net- 
Works II operator may 
screen the caller prior to 
password validation, and 
even charge a membership 
fee, if desired. Eight gen¬ 
eral interest bulletin board 
topics can be customized 
by the Net-Works II opera¬ 
tor. 

Net-Works II provides a 
“welcome” message and 
“Help” information for 
new callers. “Expert” cal¬ 
lers see fewer menus and 
instructions. Callers may 
send private mail to each 
other, post or read public 
bulletins, receive programs 
or text files, and view the 
membership list. Net- 
Works II automatically no¬ 
tifies the caller if there is 
mail waiting. The bulletin 
board has an editor and 
other utility programs. (List 
Price: $99.99) 

Required: 48K, Apple II, 
Micromodem II, one disk 
drive. 

High Technology Software 
Products, Inc. 

P.O. Box 60406 
1611 N.W. 23rd 
Oklahoma City, OK 73146 


(415) 524-4359 

CIRCLE 776 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Rhyming 

An educational program for 
young children and others 
who need practice in rhym¬ 
ing. 

Teachers can design 
custom lessons using rele¬ 
vant word combinations for 
their students and can re¬ 
place the demonstration 
word pairs delivered in the 
program with up to 50 
pairs of their own. 

The computer randomly 
selects two words from the 
list prepared by the teach¬ 
er. The words are flashed 
on the screen, and the stu¬ 
dent must decide if they 
rhyme or not. Students 
choose the number of prob¬ 
lems per game. Average 
score and time are report¬ 
ed. 

Because word pairs are 
teacher or user selectable, 
the program can be used 
for lessons in English, 
reading, foreign languages, 
and other areas. (List 
Price: $19.95) 

Requires: 8K, Apple II, 
Apple II + , Apple He, one 
disk drive. 

School and Home Course¬ 
ware, Inc. 

1341 Bulldog La., Suite C 
Fresno, CA 93710 
(209) 227-4341 

CIRCLE 774 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Dollars & Sense 

A family financial manage¬ 
ment program, featuring 
ease of use and a tutorial 
diskette. The program es¬ 
tablishes and maintains a 
personalized financial data¬ 
base, useful in maintaining 
family budgets, keeping 
records of income and ex¬ 
penses, and in providing 
information needed to pre- 

































pare income taxes. Dollars 
& Sense allows a user to 
prepare graphs and reports 
which can be displayed or 
printed in color with appro¬ 
priate hardware. 

The program can be 
used on an individual level 
to reconcile checkbooks, to 
manage investments such 
as real property or stock 
portfolios, or to analyze 
personal expenses. Profes¬ 
sionally, Dollars & Sense 
allows a user to calculate 
net worth, manage budgets 
for a small business, or 
project business profit or 
loss. In all, the user can 
identify up to 12 accounts 
of five types: assets, liabil¬ 
ities, expenses, income, 
and checking. 

The Dollars & Sense 
package includes a demon¬ 
stration/tutorial diskette, 
the program diskette, and a 
user’s manual. (List Price: 
$165) 

Requires: 48K, Apple II 
or Apple lie; one disk 
drive. 

Tronix Publishing, Inc. 
Monogram Div. 

8295 S. La Cienega Blvd. 
Inglewood, CA 90301 
(213) 215-0529 

CIRCLE 773 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Buzzard Bait 

A game program that pits 
the player against up to 
three pairs of birds who 
prey on humans in order to 
feed their young. The play¬ 
er is on a rescue mission to 
save people from the at¬ 
tacking predators. The 
game can be played with 
either a joystick or key¬ 
board. (List price: $39.95) 
Requires: Not available. 
Sirius Software Inc. 

10364 Rockingham Dr. 
Sacramento, CA 95827 
(916) 366-1195 


CIRCLE 772 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


First Categories 
An educational program 
aimed at children who are 
just beginning to read and 
handicapped youngsters 
who have difficulty with 
categorization. The pro¬ 
gram uses graphics, 
speech, and text to train 
children in six noun cate¬ 
gories on three levels of 
difficulty. The first level 
features graphics, speech, 
and text while the second 
and third levels use text 
and speech only. The cate¬ 
gories are animals, body 
parts, clothes, food, uten¬ 
sils, and vehicles. (List 
Price: $120) 

Requires: 64K, Apple II ' 
or Apple He, one disk 
drive, DOS 3.3, Echo 11 
speech synthesizer. 
Laureate Learning Sys¬ 
tems, Inc. 

1 Mill Street 
Burlington, VT 05401 
(802) 862-7355 

CIRCLE 771 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Seven Program Package 

Seven software packages to 
help users keep track of 
addresses, schedules, and 
mailings. 

The Little Black Book 
keeps track of names and 
notes electronically and in¬ 
dexes them by name and 
date. The correct spelling 
of the name is not required 
to find an entry. The pack¬ 
age is available for hard 
disks as well as single 
floppy-drive systems. 

The Scheduler organizes 
events and will review 
events or print out a daily 
schedule. 

Roll-a-File and Print-a- 
File serve as an electronic 
card file that will search 


for clients according to 
specific criteria such as 
name, age, account num¬ 
ber, ZIP Code. Print-a-File 
will print mailing lists or 
phone lists using the infor¬ 
mation retrieved with the 
Roll-a-File package. 

Micro-Mass-Mailer 
eliminates the need for en¬ 
velope stuffing by printing 
a message inside the enve¬ 
lope and printing the ad¬ 
dress on the outside. 

The Labeller will design 
and print custom labels us¬ 
ing either normal or large 
type and allows for auto¬ 
matic line centering. 

Le Menu will access any 
DOS 3.3 program with 
only two keystrokes and is 
compatible with floppy and 
hard disk drives. (List 
Price: Little Black Book, 
$249; Scheduler, $99; 
Roll-a-File, $79; Print-a- 
File $99: Micro-Mass-Mai¬ 
ler, $129; Labeller, 

$19.95; Le Menu, $49.95) 
Requires: 64K, Apple II, 
IL , He, one disk drive. 
Printer optional. 
Sophisticated Software 
650 Foothill Boulevard 
La Canada, CA 91011 
(213) 790-9054 

CIRCLE 770 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Aural Skill Trainer 

A series of three programs 
that introduce students to 
music concepts. Program 
lessons are Intervals, Basic 
Chords, and Seventh 
Chords. The programs gen¬ 
erate instructor reports on a 
printer. Discounts are 
available to schools for 
multi-copy purchases. 

(List Price: Three-lesson 
series, $99.95, Individual 
lessons, $39.95 each.) 
Requires: 48K, Apple II 
or Apple He, one disk 
drive. Printer optional. 


Electronic Courseware Sys¬ 
tems, Inc. 

309 Windsor Road 
Champaign, IL 61820 
(217) 359-7099 

CIRCLE 769 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


BLAST Communications 
Utility 

A communications program 
that transfers both binary 
and text files between mi¬ 
crocomputers, minicomput¬ 
ers, and mainframes. 

BLAST (BLocked Asyn¬ 
chronous Transmission) 
programs use a high-level, 
SDI,(71IDI.( 1 type proto 
col (hat allows lot tollable 
tile tianslers in both diiee 
tions simultaneously ovei 
Standard telephone lines at 
up to 4K00 baud 

BIAS/' works with low 
cost asynchronous mod 
ems, standard serial ports, 
and regular dial up tele¬ 
phones. BLAST allows 
computers to perform effi¬ 
ciently over noisy phone 
lines, hard-wired circuits, 
satellite links, packet- 
switched nets such as Tele¬ 
net, and local area net¬ 
works such as Ethernet. 

Either site may send 
and/or receive any files, 
programs, or commands er¬ 
ror-free and convert text 
file formats to the format 
of the other system. Micro¬ 
computer versions of 
BLAST include terminal 
emulation facilities for ac¬ 
cessing any host computer; 
text file uploading and 
downloading; and support 
for auto-dial/auto-answer 
modems. (List Price: $250) 
Requires: 48K, Apple H, 
one or two disk drives, and 
any modem. CP/M version 
requires Z-80 board and 
64K RAM. 

Communications Research 


A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 M99 




























PRODUCT NEWS 


Group Inc. 

8939 Jefferson Hwy 
Baton Rouge, LA 70809 
(504) 923-0888 

CIRCLE 768 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Data Transforms 

Two programs from Data 
Transforms which allow 
Apple II users to expand 
the high-resolution graphics 
capabilities of the comput¬ 
er. The Graphtrix Matrix 
Graphics System allows us¬ 
ers to insert high-resolution 
graphics into Applewriter 
text files. The system also 
adds footnoting, super¬ 
scripting, and chaptering 
capabilities to Applewriter 
1.0 and 1.1. 

The other program, 
Fontrix, allows Apple us¬ 
ers to create and print up 
to 16 high-resolution 
screens as a single graphic. 
Fontrix also allows the cre¬ 
ation of special character 
sets that can be typed di¬ 
rectly onto the extended 
graphics screen, either with 
proportional or non-propor¬ 
tional spacing. 

Both Graphtrix and 
Fontrix support more than 
200 combinations of dot¬ 
matrix printers and inter¬ 
face cards. (List Price: 
Graphtrix, $65; Fontrix , 
$75 

Requires: 48K, Apple II, 
one disk drive, DOS 3.3 
with Applesoft in ROM. 
Data Transforms 
616 Washington St., Suite 
106 

Denver, CO 80203 
(303) 832-1501 

CIRCLE 767 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Market Analyst 

A menu-driven software 
package for stock market 
investors that charts data, 
maintains portfolios, and 
provides access to remote 
200 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


data bases for news and 
stock quotes. 

The package features 
three sections; a Technical 
Analyst for computerized 
charting, the Portfolio 
Manager to monitor hold¬ 
ings, and News, Views and 
Quotes for online informa¬ 
tion access. 

The Technical Analyst 
charts high-low-close bar 
charts and volume histo¬ 
grams and calculates and 
charts such technical stud¬ 
ies as on-balance volume, 
accumulation/distribution, 
volume indicators, moving 
averages, and user-speci¬ 
fied formulae. All charts 
are created interactively on 
the high-resolution screen 
and can be printed on a 
graphics printer. 

The Portfolio Manager 
keeps track of multiple 
portfolios, making the 
holdings available for cur¬ 
rent gain/loss evaluations, 
yield calculations, short¬ 
term flags, and market ap¬ 
praisals. All reports are 
available on the screen or 
printer. 

News, Views and 
Quotes is the teleprocess¬ 
ing section that provides 
access to remote data 
bases. It stores up to 30 
pages of text for off-line 
viewing. (List Price: $495) 
Requires: Apple II, Apple 
II + , or Apple lie, one disk 
drive, color or B&W moni¬ 
tor. Supports printer 
(graphics capability pre¬ 
ferred) and modem. 
Anidata, Inc. 

318 South Black Horse 
Pike 

Blackwood, NJ 08012 
(609) 228-3034 

CIRCLE 766 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 

More Magic 

Two business programs for 
creating a directory/data¬ 


base and a spreadsheet 
which stores DIF files. 
Magic Memory is a direc¬ 
tory/database system that 
creates a video address 
book on the monitor 
screen. Tabs on the screen 
designating alphabetic en¬ 
tries help locate names, ad¬ 
dresses, and phone num¬ 
bers. Entries can be deleted 
and transferred. In addition 
to the lettered tabs are 24 
other tabs that can be la¬ 
beled by the user to indi¬ 
cate anniversaries, birth¬ 
days, deadlines, etc. Each 
tab can store up to 255 en¬ 
tries. Magic Memory can 
also print out the complete 
address book. 

Magicalc is a spread¬ 
sheet program that can use 
up to 512K bytes addition¬ 
al RAM. Magicalc in¬ 
cludes individual column 
widths, 40- or 70-columns, 
or 80-columns with an 80- 
column video card. Magi¬ 
calc uses the same key¬ 
board commands as Visi- 
Calc and it can load and 
save VisiCalc and DIF for¬ 
mat files. (List Price: Mag¬ 
ic Memory , $99.95; Magi¬ 
calc, $149.95.) 

Artsci, Inc. 

5547 Satsuma Ave. 

North Hollywood, CA 
91601 

(213) 985-2922 

CIRCLE 765 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Teleminder 

A communications program 
that allows a user to access 
and retrieve data from the 
Dow Jones News/Retrieval 
Service automatically in 
unattended operation. The 
program will connect with 
the commercial database, 
retrieve selected data, load 
it onto a diskette, and dis¬ 
connect from the service. 

In addition, it can print the 
news and stock quotes. 


With the optional Tele- 
Pak I utility, Teleminder 
can also transfer retrieved 
data directly into such ap¬ 
plications programs as the 
Dow Jones Market Manag¬ 
er, the Dow Jones Market 
Analyzer , and to spread¬ 
sheet programs such as Vi¬ 
siCalc, 1-2-3 , and Multi- 
plan. Tele-Pak 1 can also 
transfer Dow Jones Market 
Manager data to Dow 
Jones Market Analyzer 
files, and vice versa. This 
allows users with both soft¬ 
ware packages to access 
the News/Retrieval service 
only once to obtain identi¬ 
cal data in each program. 
(List Price: Teleminder 
$195; Tele-Pak I $30 addi¬ 
tional) 

Requires: 64K, Apple II, 
Apple II + , two disk drives, 
40-col. display, Hayes Mi¬ 
cromodem or Super Serial- 
Card, and Hayes Smart- 
modem. For the Apple He 
an 80-column display card 
is also required. 

Tele ware Inc. 

P.O. Box 729 
Pine Brook, NJ 07058 
(800) 225-0076 
(201) 882-0466 

CIRCLE 764 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


The Media Director I & 

II 

A program designed for ra¬ 
dio stations, advertising 
and marketing agencies, 
and other businesses with 
an interest in maintaining 
data on radio time and 
comparative values. The 
Media Director software 
allows a user to enter basic 
data obtainable from rating 
services, such as Arbitron 
and Birch, and to calculate 
and compare the following 
indices: Average Persons 
Rating, Cume Persons Rat¬ 
ing, Share of Audience, 
Gross Rating Point, Cost 


































tit* 


PA l\|TM CD 


UNLEASH THE POWER 

Having been in the microcomputing industry for 10 years, VRData Corporation has 
earned its reputation for microcomputing excellence. For over a year we have been 
making solid deliveries of the PANTHER establishing ourselves as THE SOURCE for 
proven, premium quality Winchester Disk Subsystems. The PANTHER satisfies the 
most demanding mass storage needs with capacities of up to 30 megabytes or more. 

Utilizing 5 A" Winchester disk drive technology, and microprocessor based error 
correcting controller boards, the PANTHERcontinues to be the #1 choice of discerning 
professionals. Available with one or two drives in one enclosure, the PANTHER can 
support many combinations of fixed and removable drives. 

Now V R Data Corporation proudly introduces the newest member in the Panther 
family of Winchester Disk Drives, the "CUB". The CUB is a sub-mini Winchester Disk 
Subsystem, representing the latest in innovative technologies. With advances such as 
100mm thin film plated media with embedded digital servo, and switch mode power, 
the CUB placed V R Data well out ahead of the pack. Available in single (master) and 
dual (master/slave) drive configurations, the CUB provides the user with capacities up 
to 10 megabytes of fixed or removable storage media. 

The CUB's sleek low profile design totally eliminates that overcrowded work area 
problem and adds a professional appearance to your system. The CUB removable 
media drives are ideal for 5 megabyte on-line storage as well as 5 megabyte backup 
for your fixed media drives. Adapter modules are availalbe for the most popular 
microcomputers. The PANTHER family of drives are availalbe at quality Computer 
Stores everywhere. If your dealer does not yet carry PANTHER Drives from V R Data, tell 
them the future has arrived. 


.data 

777 Henderson Blvd. • Folcroft, PA 19032 • (215) 461-5300 
CIRCLE 187 ON READER SERVICE CARD 










► 


PRODUCT NEWS 


Per Gross Impression, Cost 
Per Thousand Net Reach, 
Average Frequency, Aver¬ 
age Time Spent Listening, 
and Turnover Rate. 

The program can create 
the indices reports for an 
unlimited number of radio 
stations within a given 
market for each report. 

Each version of Media Di¬ 
rector will create a file, 
and display, edit, print, 
and store a database for 
any market, time-of-day, 
and demographic group. 
Version II can also gener¬ 
ate Reach + Frequency 
and Station Analysis by 
Day part reports. 

The software includes 
documentation and a walk¬ 
through tutorial. (List 
Price: Version I $350; Ver¬ 
sion II $500) 

Requires: 48K, Apple II, 
Apple + , one disk drive, Z- 
80 card. 

Anderson Associates 
4 Irvine Row 
Carlisle, PA 17013 
(717) 245-2662 

CIRCLE 794 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 

Charts Unlimited 

A graphics program, en¬ 
abling users to create draw¬ 
ings such as flowcharts, 
floor plans, engineering 
drawings, schematics, and 
similar charts. The pro¬ 
gram provides 36 prede¬ 
fined objects and 36 prede¬ 
fined symbols. Users may 
create their own alternate 
objects, up to 26 per file, 
with an unlimited number 
of files possible. 

The Charts Unlimited 
program includes help 
screens and is menu-driv¬ 
en. Charts or drawings are 
created on a worksheet grid 
of 123 columns by 90 rows 
(equal to an 8 V 2 x 11 inch 
sheet of paper). Users can 
mix text with graphics, in 

2024 A+ MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 


both upper and lower case, 
and in boldface. (List 
Price: $195) 

Requires: 64K, Apple lie 
or Apple II + . 

Charts Unlimited 
5084 Mosiman Rd. 
Middletown, OH 45042 
(513) 424-6733 

CIRCLE 763 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 

The STARSPRITE 
System 

A software system created 
for the SuperSprite Board 
which allows the board to 
produce background and 
animated graphics, sound 
effects and synthesized 
speech. It is made up of 
three packages the first of 
which is included with the 
SuperSprite Board. STAR- 
SPRITE I contains 2 two- 
sided disks that explain the 
features of the board and 
the entire software system. 
With this system the user 
can coordinate sprites and 
Apple graphics, create 
mazes and patterns and use 
the Echo II speech board 
from Street Electronics. 

STARSPRITE II is de¬ 
signed for intermediate 
programming and stresses 
the use of the AmperSprite 
language from within the 
BASIC language. It con¬ 
tains utilities, tutorials and 
demonstrations on combin¬ 
ing animation, sound and 
backgrounds. The most ad¬ 
vanced program, STAR- 
SPRITE III, was created 
for the assembly program¬ 
mer. It provides detailed 
information on all aspects 
of programming using the 
SuperSprite Board, includ¬ 
ing VDP high speed ma¬ 
chine language, lazer algo¬ 
rithms, and Sprite painting 
merge routine. In each of 
its packages Avant-Garde 
has included an offer to re¬ 
view users’ creations for 


possible publishing. (List 
Price: $79.95 each) 

Avant Garde Creations, 

Inc. 

1907 Garden Ave. 

Eugene, OR 97403 
(503) 345-3043 

CIRCLE 795 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 

Word Attack! 

A vocabulary building pro¬ 
gram for ages 8 through 
adult. Four separate exer¬ 
cises offer 600 words, their 
meanings and usage. (List 
Price: $49.95) 

Requires: Apple II. 
Davidson & Associates 
6069 Groveoak Place #12 
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 
90274 

(213) 378-7826 

CIRCLE 796 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 

Letterbank 

A word processing applica¬ 
tions package which pro¬ 
vides more than 200 busi¬ 
ness letters. The letters can 
be modified and three dif¬ 
ferent version of each sub¬ 
ject are included. (List 
Price: $99) 

Requires: Apple II 
The Wyndham Group Ltd. 
125 Mirona Rd. 
Portsmouth, NH 03801 
(603) 431-4800 

CIRCLE 797 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Solving the Mysteries 
of Science 

A science program de¬ 
signed for students in 
grades 7-9. The package is 
made up of ten general 
subjects, each covered in 
24 lessons. Features in¬ 
clude high resolution 
graphics and positive rein¬ 
forcement for all answers. 
(List Price: $39.9*), $850 
for 24 lesson series) 
Requires: Apple II or He. 


Visual Materials Inc. 
4170 Grove Ave. 
Gurnee, IL 60031 
(312) 249-1710 

CIRCLE 798 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 


Epidemic 

An adventure game based 
on the premise that a viru¬ 
lent disease is ravaging the 
world. The user is named 
director of the Center for 
Disease Control, and has at 
his disposal clean suits, X- 
rays, interferon, vaccines, 
gene splicing, and micro- 
waves. If all these fail, an 
area in which the disease is 
totally beyond control can 
be destroyed. (List Price: 
$39.95) 

Requires: Apple 11+ or 
Apple III. 

Strategic Simulations Inc. 

Suite 108 

465 Fairchild Dr. 

Mountain View, CA 94043 
(415) 964-1353 

CIRCLE 799 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 

Calcu-Plot 

A program providing users 
with mathematical utilities 
for converting complex 
equations into graphics for¬ 
mats. The software can 
solve a range of equations 
and accept data from the 
keyboard, disk files, or 
print-format VisiCalc files. 
Solved equations can be 
plotted singly or in sets of 
two or three, all on the 
same graph. 

Users may enter their 
own equations or select 
from 16 Cartesian or Polar 
equations with unlimited 
choice of constants and 
limits. 

Human Systems Dynamics 
9010 Reseda Blvd., #222 
Northridge, CA 91324 
(213) 993-8536 

CIRCLE 800 ON READER 
SERVICE CARD 






































Professional Software Products 


MATHEMATICS SERIES _ 

The Series Includes These 4 Programs: 

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS I: This menu driven program 
performs LINEAR REGRESSION analysis, deter¬ 
mines the mean, standard deviation and plots the 
frequency distribution of user-supplied data sets. 

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS: HI-RES 2-Dimensional plot of 
any function. Automatic scaling. At your option, 
the program will plot the function, plot the 
INTEGRAL, plot the DERIVATIVE, determine the 
ROOTS. MAXIMA, MINIMA and INTEGRAL VALUE. 

MATRIX: A general purpose, menu driven program 
for determining the INVERSE and DETERMINANT of 
any matrix, as well as the SOLUTION to any set of 
SIMULTANEOUS LINEAR EQUATIONS. 

3-D SURFACE PLOTTER: Explore the ELEGANCE and 
BEAUTY of MATHEMATICS by creating HI-RES 
PLOTS of 3-dimensional surfaces from any 3- 
variable equations. Hidden line or transparent 
plotting. 

For APPLE II (48K) and IBM PC (64K).S50.00 



BUSINESS SOFTWARE SERIES _ 

Both Programs $250.00 

A user-friendly yet comprehensive double-entry 
accounting system employing screen-oriented 
data input forms, extensive error-trapping, data 
validation and special routines for high speed 
operation. The series includes these two modules: 

GENERAL LEDGER: A complete accounting system 
with these features: 

• Up to 500 accounts and 500 transactions per 
month. 

• Interactive on-screen transaction journal. 

• Produces these reports: 

Transactions Journal Balance Sheet 

Account Ledgers Account Listings 

Income Statement 

For APPLE II and IBM PC .$150.00 


ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE __ 

A flexible system with these features 

• Up to 500 accounts and up to 500 invoices per 
diskette. 

• Prints invoices, customer statements & 
address labels. 

• Interfaces to General Ledger. 

• Interactive screen-based invoice work sheet. 

• Produces these reports 

Aged Receivables 
Sales Analysis 
Account Listings 
Customer Balances 

For APPLE II and IBM PC .... (2 DRIVES) .. $150.00 

_ 


MICRO-LOGIC_ 

An interactive graphics program for designing and 
simulating digital logic systems. Using the built-in 
graphics module, the user creates a logic diagram 
consisting of AND. OR, NAND. NOR. EX-OR. D. T, JK 
FLIP FLOP and powerful 16 pin user-defined MACRO 
functions. A typical page of a logic diagram looks 
like this: 



WAVEFORMS and GATES. GATE attributes include 
DELAY. TRUTH TABLE. NAME and I/O clocking. 



The system is available for Apple II and IBM PC 
computers. A non-graphics version is available for 
CP/M 2.2 It uses the network editor to create 
netlists and text printer plots to display simulation 
results. All versions require 2- 5 1/4" disk drives. 

For APPLE II. IBM PC (192K) and CP/M (70K) $450.00 
MANUAL & DEMO DISKETTE. $50.00 


PERSONAL FINANCE MASTER _ 

The premier personal and small business financial 
system. Covering all types of accounts including 
check registers, savings, money market, loan, 
credit card and other asset or liability accounts, the 
system has these features: 

Handles 25 Asset/Liability Accounts 
Monthly Transaction Reports 
Budgets Income & Expense 
Reconciles to Bank Statements 
Prints Checks & Mailing Labels 
Automatic Year-End Rollover 
Prepares a Net Worth Reports 
Searches for Transactions 
Handles Split Transactions 
User-Friendly Data Entry Forms 
Fast Machine Language Routines 
Extensive Error Trapping 
HI-RES Expense/Income Plots 
For APPLE II and IBM PC . $75.00 


_MICRO-CAP_ 

Microcomputer Circuit Analysis Program 

Tired of trial & error circuit design? Analyze and 
debug your designs before you build them. With 
MICRO-CAP you simply sketch your circuit diagram 
on the CRT screen and run an AC, DC or TRANSIENT 
ANALYSIS. Your circuit may consist of RESISTORS. 
CAPACITORS, INDUCTORS, DIODES, BATTERIES, 
BIPOLAR or MOS TRANSISTORS. OPAMPS TRANS¬ 
FORMERS. and SINSUSOIDAL or USER-DEFINED 
TIME DEPENDENT VOLTAGE SOURCES. MICRO-CAP 
can analyze any such network containing up to 40 
separate nodes. Includes a user controlled MACRO 
library for modelling complex components such as 
OPAMPS and Transistors. 



For APPLE II and IBM PC computers. A non-graphics 
version using an on-screen editor to enter networks 
and text printer plots to display simulation results 
is available for CP/M (2.2- 5 1/4" SSSD) systems. 
Requires 2 disk drives. 

For APPLE II, IBM PC (192K) and CP/M (70K) $475.00 
MANUAL and DEMO DISKETTE . $50.00 

ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS: All programs are supplied 
on disk and run on Apple II (64K) or IBM PC (128K) 
with a single disk drive unless otherwise noted. 
Detailed instructions included. Orders are shipped 
within 5days. Card users includecard number. Add 
$2.50 postage and handling with each order. 
California residents add 6 1/2% sales tax. Foreign 
orders add $5.00 postage and handling per product. 



SPECTRUM 

SOFTWARE 

690 W. Fremont Ave., Suite F 
Sunnyvale, CA 94087 



OR PHONE ORDERS: 

408)738-4387 
EALER INQUIRIES INVITED 


CIRCLE 171 ON READER SERVICE CARD 























































































































































voi/r m 



,. .. !j I - 

Word •' pr^ce^sing ' at'. 

'it£ 'finest; jPpWerful and ver¬ 
satile, t)e l f easy to use'and 
natural. Designed for the 
business and professional 
environment (or for anyone who wants the best). 
Simple control commands. Typewriter-style shift 
and lock. Glossary. Form letters and mailing lists. 
Menus for disk access and printing. DOS 3.3 com¬ 
patible text files. 40 or 80 column display. 
Modifiable drivers for most interface cards and 
printers. $210. 


Communications 

add-on for ZARDAX. 
Turns ZARDAX into a 
communicating word pro¬ 
cessor, to send and 
receive text files. Talk to other Apples, mainframes, 
information services, typesetters. Includes terminal 
mode. 300 or 1,200 baud. Works with serial, 
modem, and popular 80 column cards used by 
ZARDAX. Log-on files and X-on X-off supported. 
$80. 



“Apple Interactive Data 
Analysis.” Statistical 
analysis package for 
production research work 
with large survey data 
files. Full range of analysis — from descriptive 
statistics to multiple regression. Complete data 
manipulation, transformation and case selection. 
Fast and accurate calculations. Up to 4,000 cases 
and 255 variables per file. $235. 

Just push our button. . . 

Action-Research Northwest 

11442 Marine View Drive, SW. 

Seattle, WA 98146 
(206) 241-1645 Source: CL2542 

Apple ][ is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 

ZARDAX is a trademark of Computer Solutions, Pty., Australia. 

Dealer Inquiries invited. 




CIRCLE 172 ON READER SERVICE CARD 
204 ◄ A+MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 



» ■« are 
better 
than 
one 


Is your Apple’s 6502 processor chip a little 
overworked lately? Have you been eyeing 
one of those new, 16-bit systems? But you 
don’t want to give up all your Apple pro¬ 
grams ... 

Add the powerful 16-bit 8088 processor to 
your Apple with ALF’s Processor Card. Let 
the 6502 and 8088 work together to tackle 
your toughest problems—like speeding up 
your Applesoft and Apple Pascal programs. 
With the Processor Card, you can use the 
CP/M™ 86 or MS-DOS™ operating system 
to run the latest 16-bit software, including 
many IBM PC programs. 

64K or 128K of high-speed memory is 
available for ALF’s Processor Card. Use the 
Processor Card with 128K as a fast disk 
emulator or to view sixteen hi-res images in 
under a second. Or run Basic, C, COBOL, 
or Pascal with 16-bit performance! 

The ALF Processor Card is just $395 (Ap¬ 
plesoft speed-up software included). See 
your Apple dealer today, or contact ALF for 
more information. 


Trademarks: “Apple”: Apple Computer, “CP/M”: Digital 
Research, “MS-DOS”: Microsoft. 


ALF Products Inc. 

1 31 5F Nelson St. 

Denver. CO 80215 

C303) 234-0871 

Telex: 4981824 


































y COMING UP 



Steve Wozniak interview 


Business Graphics 
Fine Arts Graphics 
Lisa Draw 


128K RAM Board 
comparison review 


Sensible Speller review 


Koala Pad review 


Making Hi-Res characters 


d-BASE tutorial, part II 


Game reviews: 
Pinball Wizard 
Star Warrior 
Axis Assassin 
Temple of Apshai 


Crime Fighting with Apples 
Computers in Education 



INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 


READER 

SERVICE 

NO. 


ADVERTISERS 


PAGE 


READER 

SERVICE 

NO. 


ADVERTISERS 


PAGE 


132 Kensington Microware.75 

147 Lazcrware.161 


114 Abacus Associates.19 

167 Abacus Enterprises Inc.184 

104 Accent Software, Inc.4 

172 Action-Research Northwest.204 

202 Actuarial Micro Software.158 

180 Advanced Logic Systems.159 

** ALF Products.204 

203 Almaly Trading Corp.158 

107 Amdek Corp.8 

188 Anidata Inc.129 

118 Apple Computer Inc.28-29 

119 Apple Computer Inc.118-119 

175 Applied Engineering.30 

121 Applied Software Technology .... 33 

140 Avant-Garde Creations.153 

134 Bible Research Systems.76 

112 Blue Chip Software.17 

110 Business Comp, of Peterborough. . 14 

116 Bytes & Pieces.114 

142 Calsoft.94 

184 Central Point Software.117 

165 Charles Mann Associates.182 

160 Collins International Trading .... 179 

194 COMPress.148 

108 Computer Advanced Ideas.11 

129 Computer Exchange.46-47 

131 Computer Line, The.73 

117 Computer Mart.127 

177 Computer Tax Service.77 

109 Concord Peripheral Systems, Inc. . 12 

129 Conroy-Lapointe.46-47 

157 Dark Star Systems.177 

115 Data Most.20-21 

185 Data Security Concepts.121 

152 Decision Economics, Inc.150 

201 Delta Point Software.143 

101 Designware Inc.Cover 3 

156 Designs In Fabric.176 

196 Diversified Software Research. . . 142 

111 Double-Gold Software Inc.192 

181 DTI Data Trek.91 

169 East Side Software.187 

126 800 Software.43 

173 Enhancement Tech. Corp.206 

158 Entelek.178 

189 Fast Feedback Technologies .... 129 

159 Fiberbilt.180 

** H & E Computronics.Cover 2 

106 Hewlett Packard.6-7 

161 Indus-Tool ..180 

145 Interactive Microware, Inc.160 

186 Intra Computer.121 


102 Leading Edge .:.Cover 4 

153 Mark-Donn Associates.176 

168 Mega-Byte.130 

199 Micro Co-op.174 

151 Microtek, Inc.168-169 

154 Navic Software.175 

125 Nonagon Software.41 

149 Omega Micro ware, Inc.167 

130 Orange Micro.66-67 

137 PC Ware, Inc.83 

120 Personal Computer Accessories ... 32 

192 Personal Tutor Assoc. 15 

146 Practical Software, Ltd.160 

164 Pro/Pac.*82 

122 Prometheus Products, Inc.34 

191 Prometheus Products, Inc.135 

127 Protecto Enterpriz.es.45 

200 Researchers In Speech Tech .... 150 

113 Rhino Robots.18 

197 Rising Sun Software.193 

183 Robo Graphics.115 

182 Rocky Mountain Software Sys . . 113 

198 S. California Research Group . . . 140 

176 Segu 11 Enterprises.76 

144 SJB Distributors, Inc.109 

148 SMC Software Systems.162 

124 Softlink.39 

163 Softronics.181 

204 Softsmith.144-145 

133 Software Entertainment Co.147 

170 Solutions Inc.186 

171 Spectrum Software.203 

166 Street Electronics Corp.185 

155 Synergetic Solutions.174 

105 Synetix Systems, Inc.5 

139 Synetix, Inc.152 

103 3M Data Record Products Div.1 

131 Timecor.85 

179 Titan Technologies, Inc.89 

123 Transend SSM.37 

129 Transend SSM. 49 

143 Transtar.106 

174 United Computer Corp.22 

190 Utilico Software.130 

141 Videx, Inc.93 

143 Vivitar.106 

138 Voice Machine Communications . 151 

187 VR Data.201 

135 Vufax.149 

195 Zoom Telephonies.157 


AH- MAGAZINE/NOVEMBER 1983 > 20 $ 

























































































































PRODUCTIVITY INCREASE 

PDQ II will make your Apple II or lie 
outperform itself. It will fly through 
tasks which used to take hours. It 
will perform multiple tasks at the 
same time. Most Apple software 
programs will exhibit a 200 to 2,000 
percent increase in speed, without 
reprogramming. 


NEXT GENERATION 
CAPABILITIES 

That’s not all—when you plug a 
PDQ II into your Apple, it will pro¬ 
vide the advanced features of the 
16/32 bit MC68000 microprocessor. 
Your Apple will be capable of utiliz¬ 
ing sophisticated, “next generation” 
software products. 


ONE SIMPLE SOLUTION 

PDQ II eliminates the need for 
numerous add-ons — it includes an 
integrated high speed pseudo-disk, 
printer/communicatons buffer, 
memory extension capability and a 
powerful 16/32 bit processor. PDQ II 
consists of two system boards 
which simply plug inside your 
Apple, making your Micro think it’s 
a Mini. 


PDQ II SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS 

Standard Features 

Microprocessor 

• 16/32 bit MC68000 

• 10 MHZ 

User Memory 

• 256K Bytes RAM 
Integrated Functionality 

• Multiple printer/communications buffering 

• Pseudo-disk operations 

• Track buffering (p-System) 

ETC Software 

• ETC MC68000 Assembler 

• ETC MC68000 System Monitor 

• ETC p-System (version IV) to Apple DOS 
Interface Utility 


Languages and Software Systems Supported 

• Applesoft BASIC Compatibility & Speed up 

• Apple DOS 3.3 

• UCSD p-System (version IV) Interpreter—executes 
UCSD Pascal, FORTRAN-77 and BASIC P-Code 


Apple II and Apple lie are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. UCSD p-System js a registered 
trademark of the Regents of the University of California. Digital is a registered trademark of Digital 
Equipment Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. 
Osborne is a registered trademark of Osborne Computer Corporation. 


pn/i 


The Ultimate Peripheral 


INSURANCE FOR THE 
FUTURE 

PDQ II provides a powerful p-System 
run time environment, making it possi¬ 
ble for your Apple to take advantage 
of many of the hundreds of high- 
quality p-System applications...the 
same applications available for Digital, 
IBM, HP, and other computers. 

PDQ II technology makes your cur¬ 
rent investment in software and train¬ 
ing more productive, while providing 
an almost unlimited growth path. 

Now wouldn’t you like to have the 
PDQ II performing for you? 


PDQ II comes with a full one year warranty and 
will be available through your local Apple dealer. 

If you simply cannot wait, send 
your check or M.O. for $1495 (postage included) 
to: Enhancement Technology Corporation, P.O. 
Box 1267, Pittsfield, MA 01202. Mass residents 
must include 5% sales tax. 

We'll send you the PDQ II. P.D.Q.! 


Optional Features 

Hardware 

• 1 Megabyte RAM (Fall 1983) 

Software 

• UCSD p-System Development System 

• UCSD Pascal 

• FORTRAN 

• BASIC 

• Unix-like Operating System 

• Artificial Intelligence Laboratory incorporating a 
Deductive Reasoning System (Spring 1984) 


• ENHANCEMENT 
TECHNOLOGY 
CORPORATION 


PDQ II MAKES YOUR 
APPLE MICRO PERFORM 
LIKE A MINICOMPUTER 


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The Magazine for 
Apple Microcomputing 


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1 

I F:TI The Magazine for Apple Microcomputing 

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At 11832 


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4 I I r t•»•**! nil 1 
























The Magazine for 
Apple Microcomputing 


FREE 
INFORMATION 

about the products 


and services 
advertised in this 
issue of 





























HELENA ON 

CREATIVITY. 


£ 


Name: Helena Paoli 

Age: 9 

Home: Belvedere, California 

School: Bel Aire 

Hobbies: Drawing, playing with 

dolls, reading, swimming 
Ambition: To be a fashion designer 






“I like Creature Creator because it’s kinda 
like drawing —only the pictures are alive! I 
can make different creatures, and then make 
them do lots of different dances. 

“Lots of games — well, you just keep 
shooting or dodging things until you learn the 
pattern. Then you can beat it easily, and you 
get bored. 

“Creature Creator lets me use my imagina¬ 
tion. Now a couple of kids have it, so we get 
together to compare the creatures and mon¬ 
ster dances we’ve made” 

I >1 Sl< INWARE (>N CREATIVITY. 

Children learn the most through creative 
problem •.nlving Thai’s why Creature Creator, 
like so many I to'.igiiWnir games, is an open- 
ended even i .e that i hnlleu['e\ and nourishes 
young mind' liu that a Ini of lllll. 

l)e ignWan |>n>gium go l.n beyond 
putting a Me n ' ".lime "li i"Ii ill ills, they 


Apple II i 
1HM inai 
Atari is a i 


v 


encourage kids to draw on something they 
just happen to have an unlimited supply of— 
imagination! 

SPELLING, MATH, OR LANGUAGE. 

Games like Creature Creator, Spellicopter ™ 
and Math Maze ™ inspire youngsters to tap 
into that fertile idea-field. To actively become 
part of the program, in effect creating “new” 
games as they go along. And all the while 
building up solid skills in the basics. And all 
the while having a lot of plain old fun. 

DesignWare. We make learning come alive. 
On Apple Ilf IBM® and Atari® computers. 

Ask for DesignWare products at your local 
software retailer. Or call us at 800-572-7767 
or 415-546-1866 and ask for our free catalog. 

As Helena Paoli says, “Mom, Dad — look 
what I’ve created now!” 



De/ignUkim 


LEARNING COMES Al l V I 


l IM< I 


MM ON READER SERVICE CARD 











THE SECRETS OF PERFECT MEMORY: 
ONE AND ONE HALF EARTH DOLLARS 


AT LAST: THE WHOLE 
TRUTH ABOUT FLOPPIES 

Amazing book reveals 
all! 

How to keep from 
brainwashing your disk 
so it never loses it’s 
memory. 

How fingerprints can 
'actually damage disks. 
Unretouched Kirlian 
photographs of UFO’s 
(Unidentified Floppy 
Objects)! The incredible 
importance of making 
copies: the Department 
of Redundancy Depart 
ment- and what goes on 
when it goes on! Power 
ful secret methods that 
scientists claim can ac 
tually prevent computer 
amnesia! All this, and 
much more.. 

In short, it’s an 80 
page plain-English 
graphically stunning 
pocket-sized definitive 
guide to the care and 
feeding of flexible disks. 

For The Book, ask your 
nearest computer store 
that sells Elephant 
disks, and bring along 
one and one half earth 
dollars. 

For the name of the 
store, ask us. 

ELEPHANT MEMORY 
SYSTEMS® Marketed 
exclusively by Leading 
"Edge Products, Inc 
Information Systems 
and Supplies Division 
55 Providence Highway 
Norwood, MA 02062. Call 
r toll fr$e 1-800-343-8413, 
v In Massachusetts, call 

i •. ,comt 1617) 769-8150, 

" Tele\951-624. 

i ' 


CIRCLE 102 ON READER SERVICE CARD 


-